The EU is busy trying to fill its senior positions without success yet. They meet again on June 30th to try to reach agreement over who should be President of the Commission.
The EU Council last week   revealed  its new ambitions to take more control from member states.
The EU wants member states to press ahead more rapidly with plans to decarbonise. Countries are being pressed to lower their CO2 output, to increase their renewable generation of power and raise their fuel efficiency. 2030 targets are being set, but the EU has still not agreed on a zero carbon target for 2050 which some wish to do.
The EU is keen to weed out fake news from social media. It will be interesting to see what they regard as fake news, and to see if they start to cross the line between unacceptable material and censorship of material that is inconvenient to the EU. It is setting out a new “framework for targeted restraint measures” which will include asking social media platforms to prevent material harmful to the EU.
The Euro area needs to consider how much further it should go with a joint budget and whether it will start to borrow money in the name of the EU to spend around the union. The Euro area meeting talked of intensifying the banking union and capital markets union. There is also a wish to have more common taxation under a policy that it should be “fair and effective”.
The EU wishes to take greater responsibility for its own security and defence, pointing the way to more common defence spending.
The EU wants to become more assertive in international affairs. It wants Russia to release the captured sailors from Ukraine and release the vessels, seeks free maritime passage there and wants Russia to reduce her influence in eastern Ukraine. The EU continued its sanctions against Russia. The EU also condemned Turkey for her alleged  illegal drilling in the Eastern Med.
The EU is planning a tougher migration policy “to fight illegal migration and human trafficking and to ensure effective returns”. The detail on who they will make go back will be interesting, and what their enforcement mechanisms will be.  They want to renegotiate the Dublin Regulation which requires a member state to offer safe haven to a migrant if that state is their first place of arrival in the EU. The southern coastal states resent this obligation on them.
We await the new Commission and new Parliament. The old one goes out with a set of conclusions that aspire to much more integration but lack real bite in achieving their full stated aims. Nonetheless the process of integration continues, with the EU using its position in international affairs and negotiator of international treaties and commitments to gain more control over member states policies in everything from defence to energy and from economics to media.
June 25, 2019
Sir John,
Every single paragraph of your article today highlights a very good reason why the UK should no longer be part of it.
The EU is a brilliant concept in the minds of those who see themselves as part of the ‘Ruling (but unelected) Class’, able to gain significant personal power and benefit. These conceited ‘intellectuals’ see the remainder of the EU population as an ignorant underclass who, quite rightly, have a role to serve. The largely unreported protests throughout many of the European Nation States are signs of the massive discontent of those expected to serve their ‘masters’. Such a situation is unsustainable and the UK must be far away before the inevitable implosion occurs.
June 25, 2019
Absolutely spot on Pom.
June 25, 2019
So is this why reportedly idiot Mayhab yesterday pushed through SI to Climate Change Act at huge cost to public without proper debate or scrutiny? Reported a trillion. But I guess this is more to do with non regression clauses to follow EU and effectively remain in. Could you clarify please.
June 25, 2019
Once again you express my own thoughts, although I worry that we are going to get shafted once again!
June 25, 2019
Pominoz, The EU is a totalitarian ideology used to create an artificial state. It re-creates the Roman Empire in Europe, doing so bureaucratically rather than militarily. The EU is heading for an imperialism which can’t be opposed. Trust the Germans to give the game away by proposing 3 year jail terms for the sin of burning the EU flag.
June 25, 2019
It seeks to recreate -and enlarge-the Carolingian Empire (which had a messianic zeal which the original Roman Empire never possessed and petered out after Charlemagne died).Macron is a dead ringer for his son,Louis the Pious, under whom the Empire endured civil war and partition
June 26, 2019
Mitchel, Up to a point, Lord Copper. However the short-lived Carolingian empire was an attempt to recreate the western Roman empire. Charlemagne was crowned Roman Emperor in the year AD800.
June 27, 2019
Illegitimately;the Pope had no authority to do so.It was never accepted by the Eastern Emperor-the sole Roman Emperor.
June 25, 2019
NickC
If I did not know you I would think it was all just a joke, but as we do know, we know you are very serious, but it does really show the degree of brain-washing you have gone through in your old age. Do you need help?
June 26, 2019
Hans, I cannot say the same for you – for we do not take you seriously. And that is because you have been brain-washed by the EU ideology. The evidence is your Pavlovian adulation of everything the EU does and is, despite your inability to defend it rationally. You do need help.
June 26, 2019
8 main reasons why the Roman Empire collapsed. Does any of this sound familiar?
1. Invasions by barbarians;
2. Economic troubles with over reliance on cheap labour and the widening gap between rich and poor; The wealthy avoiding paying their taxes;
3. The relative success of countries outside the Roman Empire;
4. Overexpansion; its sheer size made it difficult to govern;
5. Hierarchy corruption eg unelected despots taking power;
6. Emigration / IMMIGRATION â the arrival of foreigners and departure of indigenous peoples;
7. Rise in NEW religious faith and loss of traditional values and;
8. Weakening of the army ie Roman Legions and I quote âThe ranks of the legions eventually swelled with Germanic Goths and other barbarians …. who had little or no loyalty to the empireâ
June 26, 2019
Christine
“8 main reasons why the Roman Empire collapsed. Does any of this sound familiar?”
Not bad going after lasting for 1000 years and still having an enormous influence on many countries regarding language, law, literature,learning etc.
What else has ever lasted that long or been that influential?
June 26, 2019
Christianity?
June 25, 2019
Pominoz
“The EU is a brilliant concept in the minds of those who see themselves as part of the âRuling (but unelected) Classâ, able to gain significant personal power and benefit.”
Meanwhile we live in a country where a new prime minister will be chosen by 0.3% of the electorate, to form a government that doesn’t have a majority, in a party that is at 20% in the polls, to try and deliver something that majority of the country does not want.
Aren’t we lucky.
June 25, 2019
Why is it you hate the United Kingdom so much ?
Coming down the line are a host of policies in the EU which would fundamentally change our State and Society. Are you really happy to abandon Habeas Corpus ? Are you willing to forgo the presumption of innocence and trial by Jury ? Just exactly how far does your love of EU Fascism go ? Where would you draw the line and say ‘thus far and no further’ ??
And for you information you elect a member of Parliament – the Prime Minister is the Queen’s Minister. Further the Referendum result was perfectly clear and a majority of voters on the day voted to Leave. WE LEAVE.
June 25, 2019
Then again, Ms Howard, you don’t HAVE to live here.
Do you know something? It’d be REALLY good if just once you could say something positive about our country and show some loyalty and patriotism. Too much to ask?
If so, perhaps instead you would tell us something positive and uplifting about your much-revered EU, and why it inspires the loyalty that is lacking where your country is concerned.
June 25, 2019
Not yet !
June 25, 2019
“Something that majority of the country does not want” ? You are aware that more UK citizens voted to leave than voted to stay aren’t you … of course you are. You are aware that the UK is the second largest financial contributor to the eu yet has less than 1 in 10 of representation .. Malta provides a minute GDP contribution to the eu yet has the same say as the UK. That’s your democracy ?
June 25, 2019
Through these difficult years we should always remember what would be happening now, and what would happen over the coming decades, if we had lost the referendum. And which would still happen, if the new Tory Prime Minister, or his successor after a general election, revoked the Article 50 notice, with or without another referendum.
June 25, 2019
From January 1 2019:
http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2019/01/01/the-eu-reminds-us-what-staying-would-be-like/#comment-985212
“But there has been another recent EU court decision, JR, which told us in more general terms what staying in the EU would mean, as pointed out in a letter printed in our local newspaper on December 20th under the heading:
âExplicit goal of EU is an ever closer unionâ
âA reader proposes that we should have a second EU referendum, in which the choice would be to either leave the EU with no deal or revoke the Article 50 notice and stay in.
(Viewpoint, December 13, âAsk voters if they want no deal or no Brexitâ)
In that event I hope the government leaflet would explain to voters that we only have the right to revoke the notice because the judges on the EUâs supreme court considered that interpretation of Article 50 would most effectively promote the EUâs process of âever closer unionâ … “
June 25, 2019
Interesting letter in today’s Telegraph about Article 24. It looks like Boris is correct and Carney the BBC and usual suspects want to rubbish it because it would work
June 25, 2019
The letter says the UK can carry on trading with the EU on the same terms after a no deal Brexit – just as long as the EU agrees. Why wouldnt it? In other news John Redwood can open the batiing in the first Ashes Test – just as long as Joe Root agrees. Why wouldnt he? And I can fly to the moon – just as long as the laws of physics agree. And why wouldnt they? All you have to do is believe hard enough and everything is possible
June 26, 2019
Hans Billund, So you know that the EU does not want to continue trading with the UK without mutual tariffs? Sources, please.
June 25, 2019
He is correct in the sense that the WTO rules would permit the UK and the EU to agree to do something like he suggests, in the same way that WTO rules would permit the UK and the EU to agree not to have any checks on the Irish land border.
From December 1 2018:
http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2018/12/01/advice-to-michael-gove/#comment-977617
“Here is an article which appeared in the Irish Times last Sunday:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/wto-says-its-rules-would-not-force-eu-or-uk-to-erect-hard-irish-border-1.3710136
âWTO says its rules would not force EU or UK to erect hard Irish borderâ
It would be worthwhile for honest people to make a careful note of this reference, so that the next time some congenitally deceitful Remoaner comes on here with the usual handwaving claiming that some unspecified WTO rules would force the UK to fortify the border they can be both asked to provide chapter and verse of those WTO rules AND told that the WTO does not agree with them.
Note how in the Irish Times article a professor in Dublin immediately responds that the WTO rules are irrelevant, the core problem would be for the EU and the UK to protect their respective markets; but that is not an immediate problem for us, unless the Irish government intends to start turning a blind eye to EU law and allowing non-compliant goods to be sent across the border.”
And I believe much the same would be true if the EU and the UK wanted to continue with the present tariff free trade for an interim period while sorting out a permanent special trade treaty.
June 25, 2019
So we know what the EU wants, but what do the people of Europe want. Where is the democratic control of this monolith. I have yet to see thousands out on the streets demanding a united states of Europe. To me it looks like more unaccountable power to Brussels central. It emphasises our need to be clear of it asap. If they fail to answer the democratic defecit in their vision I predict a series of implosions.
June 25, 2019
Democratic deficit?
Spoken like one of approximately 160,000 mainly elderly white people – supporting a party which the majority voted against at the last general election – who will pick our next prime minister.
June 25, 2019
So it’s OK for Wilson to be replaced by Callaghan, and Blair to be replaced by Brown – with no-one at all voting either time?
And what has colour to do with anything? As a proud British black gentleman I resent that.
This diary should be above racism and hypocrisy please.
June 25, 2019
Meanwhile in your beloved EU a handful of unelected elite globalists meet and choose the next unelected leaders of all the people of Europe.
June 26, 2019
Yeah we have locked you out Andy. Scheme with Corbyn and enjoy. You are yesterdays chip wrapper, hopefully biodegradable.
June 26, 2019
Andy, Whereâs the diversity in the EU with its 5 all white aged male unelected presidents.
June 26, 2019
Andy, Why has their skin colour anything to do with it? Why has their age got anything to do with it? You do know that a majority voted against Remain, don’t you?
June 25, 2019
Good morning
Thank you for finally putting up my post (7:32am) from yesterday under the title of, We don’t believe you.
The EU does not just have desires over its current members but, those as far as the Urals and North Africa. It seeks to humble smaller nations like Switzerland and extend its mainly Franco led Cartel throughout most of Africa. The utopian dream of Jean Monet and Sir Arthur Salter has been hijacked by Croney Capitalists and Communists. As it destroys the wealth of the middle classes and the hopes and dreams of the young, it will be loathed and despised much like the former Soviet regime and its satellite states. And it end its days just like them.
June 25, 2019
I agree with you about the hi-jacking.I would also add the perversion of the idealism of American presidents Wilson(after WWI)and Roosevelt(during WWII)with regard to the future of (western) Europe by more cynical successors who turned the Grand Idea into barely disguised American Imperialism.
The floundering EU will most likely end up as a tributary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization;what the Chinese and Russians are doing looks unstoppable to me.
I see The Council of Europe is almost certainly going to restore Russia’s voting rights this week(suspended after Crimea) as pressure from Germany and France outweighs objections from Poland and Ukraine.The souring of relations between continental Europe and the USA can only result in a closer relations between the EU and the Eurasian bloc.
Vladimir Putin either in(or at around the same time as)his famous 2007 Munich Security Conference speech(the defining speech of the 21st century-effectively destroying the Project for the New American Century) remarked that while a wide ocean separated Europe from America,only a dotted line on a map divided Europe from Russia.
June 25, 2019
Well, if the EU’s nation-states political class (excuse the sarcasm) want a new alliance with Russia they are clearly in the minority.
Speak to anybody in Eastern Europe that has suffered under the old Soviet Union controlled bloc and they will happily give you a detailed insight into the disaster that was a Russian led east European dominance.
My extended German family took a dangerous path from East Germany in the early 60s (just managed to escape by the skin of their teeth) and came to West Germany with only the shirts on their backs.
My German/Hungarian/Polish family, friends, and colleagues today, have absolutely no desire to have a Russian controlled Europe and will resist with every fibre of their bodies.
The UK citizens have limited knowledge of Eastern Europe peoples and their new aspirations, and would be surprised at their deep-seated hatred and fear for a return to communism and its failed ideology!
Whatever Brussels and its paid MSM mouthpieces say, Europe will ultimately resist this neo-Soviet takeover. Brussels is playing with fire!
June 25, 2019
I don’t think anyone,east or west(except perhaps Mr Corbyn’s followers) is expecting a return to communism.Nor will it be a matter of control.
June 25, 2019
Mitchel, Russia is the failed offshoot of the Byzantine empire.
June 25, 2019
The spiritual successor and as it grew- and remains -many times larger,hardly a failure.
June 26, 2019
Mitchel, “Many times larger” in what way? – land area? – population? – longevity? – power?
June 25, 2019
Too, I thought I would put up my long-delayed post from yesterday – as it seems relevant to today’s article. As follows:
Particularly sinister is the vicious sentences handed out in Europe, and Germany particularly (up to 5 years imprisonment), for desecrating a national or EU flag.
(https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=2ahUKEwjwxpGL24HjAhWTTcAKHeIXDGYQFjACegQIARAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFlag_desecration&usg=AOvVaw1NmSxu8tKsn2vXl-anOu58)
This clearly reveals the authoritarian nature of the EU and many EU states.
Add this to the attempted immunity of EU officials to prosecution against fraud, attempted control of criticism of the EU in the media, the overturning of democratic decisions taken by referenda in member states, the failure of politicians in the UK to respect the democratic result, the imposition of austerity and usurping of government in Greece, the wish to subject the UK to colony-status, an expansionist foreign policy, the desire to create an EU army, the unelected nature of the EU political rulers â and what you have is the beginnings of a full-blooded dictatorship in the making.
History has a habit of repeating itself.
We need to break-up the EU before it ever gets to this.
We need to keep the UK free and independent.
We need to respect and protect democracy and free speech in this country.
June 25, 2019
Andy (or Ms Howard, Newmania or someone of that persuasion) will tell you why all this is perfectly okay and desirable.
June 25, 2019
James Bertram, Exactly right. And every authoritarian or totalitarian ideology drags the credulous in its wake, as we see with the likes of Acorn, Andy, Hans, Margaret H, Rein, etc, on here.
June 25, 2019
Member states authority over tax (including delayed taxation that is sovereign debt) and spend is surely sacrosanct. Should the EU take control of these fundamental fiscal levers used by central governments the member states concerned simply become a mere region of the EU.
Would politicians of each member state accept the destruction of the countries they were elected to represent?
How would for example an Italian voter assert authority over and control over the fiscal decision making of an EU leader?
At some point many of these member states will have to confront the most important question. Are we prepared to see our nation disappear into the EU abyss?
June 25, 2019
“Would politicians of each member state accept the destruction of the countries they were elected to represent?”
Dominic, we have seen our current PM along with her supporting cabal of MPs and Civil Servants attempt to do just that. May has used the Leave vote for exactly the opposite of what we voted for i.e. she accepted a new treaty that was designed to trap and emasculate the UK until the country could be absorbed into the EU as the first true EU satellite, instead of having us leave its control absolutely.
We have managed to dodge May’s bullet but Hunt has picked up the metaphorical gun and I believe will take aim at a very similar target i.e. keep the UK closely tied to the EU until the former can be drawn back in.
As for Johnson? After his recent “trouble” he has appeared to firm up on leaving by 31/10/2019 but rumours still arise indicating that he will be happy to accept changes (cosmetic?) to the Backstop.
The Country deserves an unequivocal statement of intent from both Hunt and Johnson that May’s “deal” is unacceptable and therefore has no future in their plans.
June 25, 2019
Enoch Powell said in 1972:
”The essence of parliamentary democracy lies in the power to debate and impose taxation: it is the vital principle of the British House of Commons, from which all other aspects of its sovereignty ultimately derive…..
”… it is an inherent consequence of accession to the Treaty of Rome that this House and Parliament will lose their legislative supremacy. It will no longer be true that law in this country is made only by or with the authority of Parliament… The second consequence … is that this House loses its exclusive control…. over taxation and expenditure.
In future, if we become part of the Community, moneys received in taxation from the citizens of this country will be spent otherwise than upon a vote of this House and without the opportunity … to debate grievance and to call for an account of the way in which those moneys are to be spent. …”
June 25, 2019
Dominic said: “Would politicians of each member state accept the destruction of the countries they were elected to represent?”
Yes, they would. As we see daily in the UK with the likes of May, Hammond, Grieve, Clarke, Soubry, Cooper, Benn, etc, etc.
June 25, 2019
I don’t disagree with many of the aims : I believe they are good except for closer integration.
Some think that they can say anything accuse others with things that they think and do not know in all walks of life and fake news is just another example of this.
Perhaps we need shared defence.
Reduction of emissions can be done by independent countries under self control.
Joint budgets are good for for those countries struggling, but what does Germany think of giving their accumulated leverage to others .
Tougher migration policies are need everywhere.
Dealings with Russia should enable us to move out of the cold war bringing a fresh new perspective of a new world
According to news, Barnier was eager to take up the position.
Not all is bad in the EU . It is difficult to think of a new enlightened age and there could be one provided earth still exists, but bending to the rules of others will not make for happy people.
Apart from food and the utilities material things are the fodder of trade . Ways of producing without including nasty by products and packaging . We should attend to this right away. Th Eu should attend to this right away, but the wheels of fortune move more slowly than healthy progress.
June 25, 2019
Of course the Utilities and food play a greater part in trade however long lasting solutions to mining etc etc cannot be solved overnight but packaging can be .Wher do the plastics companies stand in this?
June 25, 2019
Well, closer integration is what it is all about; everything the EU does is directed, or at least conditioned, by that paramount purpose.
At mentioned above in the earlier comment referenced above:
“The leading reason that the EU judges gave for allowing the UK to unilaterally revoke the Article 50 notice is also the leading reason why we should not do so.
Those telling paragraphs can be read here:
http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=208636&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1087903
and note that 61 does not say âone purposeâ or even âtheir primary purposeâ but simply âtheir purposeâ, that is to say their only purpose:
â⊠those treaties have as their purpose the creation of an ever closer union ⊠â
June 25, 2019
We have NATO to assure the defence of Europe. It has proved better at keeping Russia in check that the EU has been at stopping illegal immigrants from crossing the Mediterranean.
June 25, 2019
“The prospect of a Russian conquest of Western Europe is one for which history affords no material.The theory that the Russians have not advanced from the Elbe to the Atlantic because of the nuclear deterrent is no more convincing than the theory that they have not done so because they do not want to do so and have never envisaged,unless perhaps in terms of world revolution,a Russian hegemony in western Europe.”
Enoch Powell(Hague speech,1971).And Powell was right,when the Soviet archives were made public in 1991,there was no evidence they ever intended an unprovoked attack on the west.
Powell had favoured an entente with the Soviets and an alliance with France as the best way to keep Germany constrained and maintain our position in the world( I believe Eden had similar views) but Churchill and Macmillan rolled us into the anglo-american version of what they saw as a new Roman Empire in which they assumed the British elite would predominate because the Americans were too dumb to be able to run an empire.Didn’t quite work out as planned.
June 25, 2019
Enoch Powell was probably right in the speech he gave in 1972. It is ironic really that we have started the 21st Century as we did the 20th – with the German problem.
I think Emmanuel Todd has it right and that the French elite, its political class, have made a terrible mistake by choosing to buddy up with Germany rather than the UK. As we see today the Germans are not content to merely do as the French tell them and they will, especially after the UK has left the EU, become more and more assertive. Germany, since unification in 1871 has not be a force for peace and stability in Europe and I see no reason why a newly reunited Germany will be much different. It might not use Panza divisions to achieve its aims, but you can rest assured they will pursue them with as much determination and disastrous results for the rest of Europe.
June 25, 2019
Then perhaps countries that are behind with their NATO payments should stump up.
June 25, 2019
“Reduction of emissions can be done by independent countries under self control.”
CO2 emissions are not a problem, but they are another lever for EU and UN global control over the population. If plastic packaging on food is abandoned, there will be a massive increase in food wastage. It isn’t plastic that is the problem so much as its disposal. We have not been recycling it, we have been sending it to China and SE Asia.
If we massively increase paper usage there will be a resulting problem with paper re-cycling, which itself can be polluting and has high energy costs.
High temperature controlled incineration is the only way to ensure plastic doesn’t pollute, but so-called environmentalists oppose this for false reasons. I note that we are to start exporting baled plastics to Europe for incineration, where it will be feedstock for existing waste to energy plants.
We should have more such plants in the UK but they are vigorously opposed. By incineration, two usages are obtained from the oil used to produce the plastic, packaging and energy.
June 25, 2019
So you are in favour of full integration. â A country called Europeâ as it says at the entrance to their buildings. Phew – luckily you are in the minority.
June 25, 2019
Margaret said: “Not all is bad in the EU”. I beg to differ: I know of no good specific to the EU, or because of it.
June 25, 2019
I saw Boris being interviewed by Laura Keunsberg and I wasn’t overly impresses.
He is going to have too be a lot more decisive if we are to leave on 31st October.
I’m not holding my breath.
June 25, 2019
Ian Wragg
The interviewer was a big part of the problem, must have been advised by Marr trainer for the Farage interview. Total rubbish.
June 25, 2019
In USA Trump has so far nominated two conservative judges to the Supreme Court. These two were of course subject to a barrage of personal attacks by the anti-Trump establishment during confirmation. After being appointed both of them have sided quite frequently with the liberal/Democrat judges voting against their supposedly conservative ideology. You can ascribe this to all the attacks having made them want to demonstrate some sort of even-handedness, or to simply wanting to be liked. One assumes there is a good chance Boris may bend to his Remainer attacker’s will in the same way, something someone like Farage would never do – who ever takes us out of the EU is going to be disliked and they need to be able to handle that.
June 25, 2019
Roy Grainger, Actually I think Farage has already partly succumbed to the relentless attacks from the Remain establishment. That is one of the reasons he would not stay in UKIP.
June 25, 2019
no! he thought the PM and MPs would honour the people’s vote. He didn’t dream the remainers could be so anti-democratic, but there it is.
June 26, 2019
Fred H, Many of us expected that we would get the Leave outcome we voted for, not just Nigel Farage. When the betrayal became obvious, UKIP polled as high as 18% in the run up to the EU elections, before the Brexit Party took over. But Farage could have stayed in UKIP – he did not need to form a new party – and UKIP’s polling would have been even higher. Both UKIP and TBP polling was the result of the government’s Remain betrayals.
June 25, 2019
I didn’t see the interview, but this morning I saw an excerpt in which he referred to “technical fixes” to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
He seems to have moved on a bit from hand-waving about “technology”, and a rather foolish comparison with the congestion charge, and I suppose “technical” could include “legal”, but I wonder how much longer it will take him and others to understand that first and foremost what is needed is a “legal fix”.
Why?
Because all checks at the Irish land border ceased with the advent of the EU Single Market in 1993, which depended on a legal change, namely the implementation of the relevant EU Single Market law in both UK and Irish domestic law.
So with the withdrawal of the UK – but not the Irish Republic – from the EU what is primarily needed to keep the border open is a new UK law, a “legal fix”, to replace the present UK domestic law implementing the EU Single Market rules.
As I have tried to explain for nearly two years now, with little success:
http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2017/12/06/comments-to-this-site/#comment-905832
“After all the present general freedom to export from the UK to the EU without any border checks is based upon the EUâs trust in the UK governmentâs good intentions but backed up by UK legal sanctions for infringements of EU law, a system which works OK but with the undesirable consequence that every business in the UK has been made subject to the EU requirements even though only a small minority ever exports to the EU.”
And that is what Theresa May agreed would continue to be the case even after we have left the EU, in perpetuity, for the sake of the 0.1% of UK GDP which is driven across the land border into the Irish Republic.
If you listen to the Irish government you might think that the UK government will be setting up trebuchets to hurl US-style toxic “chlorinated chickens” over the border into the sacred territory of the Republic, in the way that plague infected corpses were sometimes catapulted over city walls by besieging armies.
June 25, 2019
Let’s hope he’s keeping his powder dry. If he says too much positive stuff about leaving, the remainer jackals will be on him like…. well, jackals. Perhaps at this point it’s better for him to appear to be all things to all men.
Then again – for a while I thought Mrs May was playing ‘the long game’ too….
June 25, 2019
There’s a devastating-and quite amusing- attack on Boris from his former editor,Max Hastings,in the Guardian.
June 25, 2019
And a very downbeat,fatalistic article by Alex Massie in The Spectator:”Boris’s backers have a lot to answer for.”
“There is something deeply corrosive about this moment in British politics;something shameful too.Being better than Corbyn-or better than Johnson-is a miserably low bar to set.Deep down many people know this,yet they go along with it anyway.There’s a helplessness here that’s at the mercy of arrant knavery.”
June 25, 2019
Max Hastings, yawn.
Guardian, mega-yawn.
June 25, 2019
President of the Commission – when do I vote for him (I assume no women are allowed to stand) ?
June 25, 2019
Roy there are a lot of women on the Commission, indeed J-C Juncker is reported to have demanded that women sat on the Commission in greater numbers, so this is not fair. Snra Mogherini is the Foreign Minister – sorry Lord High Representative.
There is every chance that the Commissioners will choose a female President of the Commission. Already women have presided over the Parliament.
June 25, 2019
Mike Stallard, Roy Grainger’s main point was that he, and I, and you, don’t get to elect the president of the Commission. Even though the Commission is the main law making institution of the EU.
June 25, 2019
Nick, the Commission has no lawmaking powers
June 26, 2019
Hans Billund, The EU Commission has the sole right to propose EU legislation, which it drafts. The EU Commission manages and implements both the EU’s policies and the EU’s budget. The EU Commission is the main law making institution of the EU.
June 26, 2019
That’s not correct hans.
They do create the laws, directives and regulations
It is the MEPs who formally approve them all.
I cannot remember any examples of MEPs refusing to pass any.
Can you hans?
June 25, 2019
Agreed. Also, when do we get to choose a leader based on their manifesto so we can influence the direction the EU is taking?
Then again, manifestos mean nothing to the major parties in the UK, do they! They are just a way of getting elected, and then the manifestos are discarded.
June 25, 2019
@Shirley
Better still, when do we get to vote in a leader by their ability – not by how good they are at PR or how many MP friends they might have…?
Things have to change – Democracy has to evolve.
June 25, 2019
Right after you vote for the UK Cabinet Secretary?
June 26, 2019
Andy, That’s because MPs originate the law, not UK civil servants. Except when UK civil servants are conniving with their EU counterparts. Otherwise known as corruption.
June 25, 2019
Juncker has also asked every country to nominate not one, but two commissioners – a man and a woman. So the next commission president will be able to ensure that her or his commissions is gender balanced. A great idea.
June 25, 2019
I find it odd that equal quantities of different genitals are a key consideration for deciding who will shape future policy. No doubt this sort of virtue signalling will ensure western Europe remains only above Antarctica in its economic performance.
June 26, 2019
It’s nonsense – but displays his socialist credentials
Here’s a novel idea – why don’t people get assessed on their ability for office?
June 25, 2019
Roy, your elected MEP will vote on your behalf.
June 26, 2019
Hans Billard, But s/he won’t have created the legislation, and won’t be part of either the government or the opposition. Not least because no opposition to the EU is recognised.
June 25, 2019
“The EU is keen to weed out fake news from social media”
Well we surely know exactly what they will decide is fake news – almost anything remotely inconvenience to their largely evil agenda and empire building. It will be rather like China perhaps soon will they soon go one to prisoner organ harvesting for bureaucrat perhaps in a few years? Has May/Hunt or the UK government complained about the Hong Kong situation and attacks on the UK treaty yet – I think not.
Saying there are only two genders or that climate alarmism is somewhat of an exaggeration will surely go onto their fake news list very soon?
“The EU wants member states to press ahead more rapidly with plans to decarbonise.” this alone is sufficient reason to leave. It is hugely damaging to the economy and does nothing significant at all to world C02 emissions.
Still I see that Prince Charles has kept his personal travel expenditures (the part funded from taxes) down to just over ÂŁ1.5 million. So he is doing his bit I suppose. This is the same Prince Charles who (in March 2009) said we have 100 months to save the world âŠ.. nations have “less than 100 months to act” to save the world ⊅ So perhaps it is too late and he has just given up completely now? But “fewer” that 100 months surely.
I will keep my family travel costs down to about 1/1000 of his – without too much sacrifice.
June 25, 2019
1/100 not 1/1000 I meant.
June 25, 2019
Commendably abstemious of you Lifelogic, especially so if you continue to fulfill all of your public engagements.
June 25, 2019
@Lifelogic – Agreed
The EU is incapable of seeing another’s perspective – they will certainly see, and ban, anything that looks like a criticism of them or their inane policies – In establishing what is fake news the EU certainly cannot be trusted, especially given the quantity it dispenses.
Extrapolating further, based on how the EU have performed, lied, bullied, corrupted, and generally acted with deceit and disdain, the people of Europe have a very dim future to look forward to.
June 25, 2019
But think, LL – if we didn’t have a Royal Family, we’d end up with a President Blair, or a President Branson (ie anyone with money enough) – then we’d see what REAL spending from the public purse can be!
June 25, 2019
Well said LJones
The royal family is a much better financial deal than the French or American options – and there are quite a few added benefits… Not to mention the tourists.
June 25, 2019
More the hypocracy than the money. The do as I say not as I do attitude. You save the world but I am above such things so I will lecture you while spending 100 times more than you on private jets and the likes.
June 25, 2019
I am at all not against having a royal family, but they should stay out of politics as our excellent queen has done – if they have any sense. Not exhibit gross hypocracy, foolishness and push bogus climate alarmist science.
June 25, 2019
Why? The job of the Constitutional Monarch is to defend the Constitution – not to host suppers! We need a body to do the job that HM has pointedly refused to do, agreeing even to personally become a common citizen of the EU arraignable in her own Courts. My preferred option is the Law Lords sitting as a Constitutional body scrutinising legislation that contradicts our Constitutional Statutes and ensuring that an explicit vote in the house with a supermajority is obtained before repeal or amendment. Treaty law and the Royal Prerogative must never again be used unconstitutionally to destroy the independence of the U.K.
June 25, 2019
What on earth are you talking about ??
Her Majesty is not a ‘common citizen’. She is a Sovereign. Under the Maastricht Treaty citizens of member states acquired EU Citizenship. It is not possible for a Sovereign to be a ‘Citizen’.
Secondly Her Majesty cannot be ‘arraign[ed] in her own Courts’ because she is Sovereign and thus is immune from any proceedings. This was tested in the Courts in 1911.
As to your later point ‘Treaty Law and the Royal Prerogative’ have not been used unconstitutionally because all EU treaties have been subject to the constitutional norms. Where you do have a point is that the political class have signed up to far too many treaties which impinge on our ancient constitution. I would prefer they adopted the USA attitude and jealously guard the constitution and liberties.
June 25, 2019
Natasha’s law sound like yet more damaging red tape, will cost jobs, waste millions and something that will actually cause far more harm than good. It could indeed cause rather more death problems by giving false reassurances. If I had a very serious food allergy I do not think I would trust any restaurant food at all and take my food with me.
Then we have T May (looking for a legacy at tax payers expense) and A Rudd forcing more disabled work right through at work and in housing. Yet another tax on business making it less competitive and making houses more expensive and slower to build. Surely it is far better to adapt the houses as needed depending on the disability need. To insist that all new houses are more expensive to build is totally idiotic. But then we know that these two individual are daft.
Doubtless Hammond will be complaining about low productivity yet again. His making tax digital is another huge imposition on business killing profits and productivity as is his absurdly high and complex tax code. Look in the mirror Hammond for a solution, you and this wretched tax and regulate to death government are the problem.
June 25, 2019
Weeding out fake news is not hard.
If you see it on the BBC, or ITN, or Sky it is real. If you read it in the Times, Telegraph, Guardian it is real.
If you see it on social media or it is shared by hard right or hard left conspiracy theorists it is fake.
GATT 24, for example, is fake news.
June 25, 2019
GATT 24 isn’t fake news because it exists.
Critics of the transition plan are correct that it would require agreement from both sides.
The reality is that every agreement needs two sides of any agreement to agree to it.
June 26, 2019
Andy, So when Prince Charles is reported in the Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, etc, saying that we have less than 100 months to save the planet from global warming catastrophe, you believe it? Even though he said it in 2009?
You claim that the UK being as independent as New Zealand is not possible, even though you have no evidence. You say GATT Art24 is fake yet the WTO itself says we can use it (provided both the UK and the EU agree to do so). No doubt you believed the BBC when it said Remain would win?
How do we know you are not fake, when your children don’t age, you think there are 17.4m angry far right Tory pensioners, you spend more time on here than at your mythical business, etc?
June 25, 2019
Sorry Sir John but I am really surprised that you published such a weak piece of copy, one could replace “EU” with “UK” and much of what you wrote would be applicable to the current govt and their polices with little further editing of other words.
June 25, 2019
What are you talking about? We are a single country and our Govt has those powers. The EU is now admitting openly that it aspires to be a single country – that entails the total destruction of 27 existing, formally homogenous nations and countries without their citizens approval!
June 25, 2019
Jery, You are right – but that is because the UK “government” is just the local colonial office for our EU overlords. No wonder they look the same.
June 25, 2019
I see that the BBC yesterday seemed to have become completely the “Let’s Get Boris” Broadcaster. Wall to wall attacks on poor old Boris. Even some Tory Donor (a taxi company businessman) who even absurdly implied that Theresa May was a good PM!
Hunt the Theresa Nightmare continuation candidate would be a disaster how can anyone think otherwise.
Theres May at the EU elections won four seats the Brexit Party won 29. Did Hund and the donor above think the electorate we cheering her on!
Dominic Grieve on Newsnight – “A no deal Brexit is a total Catastophe ⊅I will not go down in history as an MP who has facilitated it” But that is exactly what he and his ilk are doing by totally undermining the chances of any sensible deal being offered! Does he need this basic logic explaining to him perhaps?
June 25, 2019
I agree the BBC surpassed themselves yesterday – more shocking even than the usual dreadful bias. I have signed the petition to be debated on 15 July and hope, Sir John, that you will make the point then that many of us have reached ’tilt’ over BBC bias in recent months. In addition, I really believe that your party has to find a way of dealing with the Grieves and Clarkes in your midst, without waiting for them to bring down a new Boris Johnson cabinet, allegedly within 24 hours! They have stated publicly that they are prepared to vote with Corbyn against a new Conservative government – is your party going to sit and wait until it’s too late to act?
June 25, 2019
It is at times of crisis, such as this, that replacing the current leader with a “Sicillian” always makes sense.
June 25, 2019
I take your general points from each paragraph and in general agree. There are a couple of points that I would like to take up.
Firstly, reducing CO2 emissions. Why? The evidence is far from clear and predominately suggests that man made Global Warming is a small problem with a lot of benefits such as faster crop growth and turning desert into Savannah. It is also true that renewable energy generation is many times more expensive than fossil fuels. The most efficient Solar power station that I know of is Invanpah Thermal Solar power station in the Mojave Desert in California. By its own numbers it is approx 4 times as expensive as coal or gas. Despite having no back up for when the sun does not shine. Plus it uses fossil fuel generated electricity for two hours a day to warm up its boilers over night to increase its generating time be two hours at the preferential prices it gets. Plus many other subsidies it gets that are too technical to go into here.
I would suggest that you talk to Lord Peter Lilley if you are interested in hearing a more balanced view on Global Warming. Also, Lord Nigel Lawson.
On fake news, how do you define what is unacceptable material and what is censorship. 70 years ago and less, anything that suggested Homosexuality was O.K. would have have been unacceptable material. And anyway, Politicians are not capable of banning anything from the Internet. All you can do is push it ‘underground’ so that the general public can not see it . You hide the problem without blocking it.
/ikh
June 25, 2019
Your last paragraph is spot on. PC is to free speech what prohibition was to alchohol consumption. The internet and social media are the present day speakeasies. Prohibition fed the mafia PC feeds the liberal chatterati.
June 25, 2019
And then thereâs us.
We get no say in any of this.
Because for decades our âleadersâ have lied to us about our true involvement with the EU.
And a lot of people believed them!
June 25, 2019
Read all that Enoch Powell had to say about the ”Community” around 1972. His prescience was soon rubbished by those who didn’t want the common people to know the truth.
June 25, 2019
We voted for Brexit and havenât got it. The conservatives voted mainly for Boris and Hunt. If the members like myself, elect Boris to lead the party his own MPs are openly saying they will bring the government down. Why all this voting? If this is democracy in action you can shove it. Voting is meaningless.
June 25, 2019
The English used to be quite unusual, while they were far too polite to tell the truth they rarely lied and used language in a direct way, denoting a real intention. This was in contrast with most of the Continent Ireland India and Asia who use language in a much more fluid way.
Our public life is now full of fiction and half truth, petty crime is rising and we notice an increase in dishonesty at work . I wonder if this is related and the ” just about defensible statement ” in which Redwood, Johnson et al specialize is part of wider cultural drift away from Protestant values
June 25, 2019
The political class as a whole have been well drifted away from Protestant values for some time – like forever?
June 25, 2019
Perhaps instead of criticising our country (and our host), Newmania, you’d have a go at writing something admiring and positive about your revered EU, refuting those things you call ”half truths” and describing why your EU overlords would never sink so low as to mask their ”real intentions”.
June 25, 2019
Newmania, The fish rots from the head. Our public life is now full of fiction, half truth and petty crime, as a result of our membership of the EU. A fundamentally dishonest totalitarian ideology, which has the sole aim of increasing its own power without direct democratic control, will always lead to corruption.
June 25, 2019
Step 1 to a police state
The quicker we are out the better
June 25, 2019
Exactly.
June 25, 2019
I can see no problem with any of these objectives, all of which are achieved more successfully with cooperation and coordination etween nations. This is just more scare mongering and suggests âleaveâ are losing the argument if this is the best that can be offered.
Meanwhile Boris Johnson is going to use the reserves for a âno dealâ for tax cuts while insisting there may be a âno dealâ- how smart is that?
June 25, 2019
Steadyeddie, The EU doesn’t do cooperation between nations, it only does dirigiste subjugation.
June 25, 2019
The EU is like a child always asking for more privileges but still unable to comb their hair or dress unaided…. The EU fails to show they are competent, or honest, with the power they already have.
In none of the areas where the EU seeks ‘more power’ can they be trusted, as they have shown so often, they are self serving bullies who always want their way.
Allowing the EU tax raising abilities would be a total disaster. If they can tax us directly then they will certainly have no need of national governments who are already little more than talking shops. They would become museums, having given up their last bargaining chip, and the EUC would rule directly via EU regional authorities. God Help us.
June 25, 2019
One of the things that has happened as this country has been hollowed out by the EU is that nothing can be done about anything.
When it comes down to it there is no one to help you anymore.
Try approaching any institution with a problem.
Youâll be lucky to get a shrug of the shoulders.
Theft, vandalism, anti social behaviour …not a problem.
( the problem is the one who rocks the boat by complaining!)
June 25, 2019
Everhopeful, You are right – we are living in the EU dystopia.
June 25, 2019
Dystopia hasn’t arrived yet – but the planners are taking it there as fast as the sleepwalking citizens don’t notice.
June 25, 2019
Sir John, people who post here for the most part know about the political directive that I the EU and they are sceptical of it. Many do not, many believe the propaganda and I have had many a lively conversation on just such a topic. What I find depressing is that after the last three years of hostility from the EU there are people who think we should remain part of this dreadful organization. Where is our propaganda? Where is the anti EU information that people can easily access and that we don’t have to hunt to find? I think the answer to that is – nowhere.
June 25, 2019
Exactly !
June 25, 2019
Nicky – see facts4eu.org
They publish information that comes straight from the EU’s own maw. Talk about hoist by their own petard!
Yet STILL, as you say, some people want to be a part of it. Unbelievable.
June 25, 2019
As much as I like this blog, I do wonder at the reach of its commonsense. Ever thought of doing a series of video shorts, Sir John? This blog article would make a suitable subject for the first.
June 25, 2019
Whereas when we leave all we have to worry about is May’s trillion pound eco disaster, continuing draconian restrictions on free speech, ongoing support for illegal wars and authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, extremely damaging economic policy from BofE and the treasury and far too high tax levels. Aren’t we lucky?
June 25, 2019
Alex, The first step is regaining democratic control of our own nation. None of these problems can be tackled unless we, the people, can make a real difference by democratically controlling our government. VoteLeaves prime slogan – take back control – has a deeper resonance than most people realise.
June 25, 2019
Alex
And not forgetting the City of London, an institution that is known as the biggest money laundering outfit in the world!
After 2008 the spivs in the City along with their greedy bankster friends in the US caused untold hardship to millions of people and destablised many struggling economies.
June 25, 2019
If you know of any money laundering then Margaret you must report it to the Police.
Looking forward to hearing about your revelations after this remarkable allegation.
June 25, 2019
The govt are holding a public consultation about BBC bias on Facebook.
June 25, 2019
Link to Govt Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/UKHouseofCommons/photos/a.183499548715839/875769506155503
June 25, 2019
They are ONLY allowing comments by Facebook – a deliberate ploy to prevent people like me from having a say – this needs challenging, Sir John!
June 25, 2019
So selecting the contributors from a pre-biased panel then? If the government actually wants an accurate representation of views, it will have to hold a consultation through a channel that isn’t well-known for banning those that fail automated filters (and publicly saying that “rogue employees” set the filter when it bans anyone to the right of Labour).
Otherwise they might as well just ask the Question Time audience.
June 25, 2019
The EU might be ready to listen to Boris in 6 months time.
June 25, 2019
Beneath the media smoke and desire for a story, almost any story, there is begining to emerge the hint of a plan to manage our exit from the EU as cautiously espoused by Boris.
So far I have ascertained that he believes there are aspects of the WA that are of mutual benefit, but that as an entity the WA is dead.
He has also hinted at the need for a period of normalisation while the future trading arrangements are discussed and agreed. Is this a deliberately ill defined way of saying that Art24 of GATT should be explored. I hope so.
I look foward to him putting more meat on the bone. I agree with his judgement that his family life is private and not there to feed the ambitions of a few labour activists, or the coffers of a shallow media.
June 25, 2019
If he ‘puts more meat on the bone’ too soon, the jackals will pounce. He’s being careful, I think – I hope.
I don’t care what he does in his private life either, as long as it’s not illegal. There are far more important issues to get het up about. People should allow themselves to be manipulated by prurience.
June 25, 2019
”shouldn’t allow themselves” I meant!
June 25, 2019
1984 has moved from being a warning, to being the Bible of the self selected few in the EU Commission that are the arbiters of how society should be run.
Everything is illegal unless permitted by the EU Commission. The opposite of a free society where everything is legal unless the democratic selected and elected representatives of the people have chosen to make it illegal. Even then those same representatives can rescind the laws and regulations if they are no longer applicable.
EU Commissions laws and rules cannot be changed by any democratic means.
June 25, 2019
But the Commission cannot make any laws. None. EU laws are made by the Council and Parliament, both elected by voters
June 25, 2019
That is incorrect, as you will find if you bother to look it up.
June 25, 2019
Only the EU Commission has the power to propose legislation.
June 25, 2019
I thought Boris did Ok in his interview heading in the right direction
June 25, 2019
One of the black clouds hovering over the world economy is trade warfare. The focus is all on the US-china dispute. But not enough notice is being paid to the EU’s attempt to bully Switzerland into closer economic subjugation by the use of trade warfare. They have blocked Swiss exchanges from trading EU shares. Very wisely the Swiss have responded robustly and banned EU exchanges from trading Swiss shares – like NestlĂ© Roche and Novartis. What’s the result of this? Higher capital costs, slightly lower liquidity, lower investment choice for EU investors etc. All bad. All due to EU bullying and protectionism.
Post brexit we should do a quick deal with the Swiss on share trading, and respond in a similar way in the event the UK also faces this kind of trade warfare. The UK govt should also raise at the G20 and G7 and maybe the UN security council why the EU is behaving in this aggressive and dysfunctional way towards a friendly liberal democracy.
June 25, 2019
I suspect the EU will be trying to adopt measures similar to the Google algorithms which filter out Conservative views. James O’Keefe of Project Veritas has exposed the nature and extent of this through videoclips with whistleblowers (released yesterday). What is revealed is (alleged ed) political interference and manipulation of data ………. in an attempt to prevent P Trump being reelected. Anyone concerned about freedom of speech and expression will I suspect be hugely concerned.
June 25, 2019
I see that NASA and NOAA have just cynically completed another massive round of ……. land surface temperature data (changes ed). By yet again reducing past temperatures in the records and increasing recent temperatures (without any justification whatsoever) they are now able to claim a massive warming since 1884 of about 1.8 deg C whereas the actual rise is less than 0.4 deg C. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tODIRhhV80
And it is on the basis of … lies and deception that the EU seeks to push ahead with decarbonising the European economy – something which can only result in large parts of the population dying from starvation, destitution or violence. (Renewables such as solar, wind, and hydro power supply just seven per cent of electricity needs globally while âthe rate at which fossil fuels are growing is seven times that at which the low carbon energies are growing)
June 25, 2019
Clearly, what the Germans failed to do in 1870, 1914 and 1939, they are about to achieve in the next decade, or thereabouts, ie the subjugation of Europe to teutonic hegemony, if not formally, at least informally! And should all this go to plan, along with English becoming the semi official language of Euland, French noses will be, well and truly, out of joint.
June 25, 2019
David Maples
I suppose you would prefer the British Empire back and the subjugation of a quarter of the globe to English hegemony.
June 25, 2019
margaret – – but we willingly let them off the leash….
June 25, 2019
I would be fascinated to know, Margaret, what part of your background makes you so thoroughly despise the country which I assume you live in (and its history). If you do live here, why not go somewhere where you’ll feel more in tune with the nation, eg Germany? It’s a serious question, MH, let’s have an answer!
June 25, 2019
Do you read much in the way of history, Ms Howard?
June 26, 2019
Margaret Howard, I suppose you prefer the EU empire hegemony? Doh! – of course you do, you’ve said so many times. Actually we Leaves prefer self-determination, just as much for ourselves as for Britain’s ex-colonies.
June 25, 2019
There is a fundamental difference between what the citizens of member states want and what Brussels and some national leaders are trying to impose.
There is not a cat in hell’s chance of German taxpayers agreeing to the full-blown transfer union that will be essential to make the Euro secure in the long term. That is why it is doomed to fail.
What will happen then can only be guessed at. I suspect that the Euro will split into a number of smaller currency areas with some Countries reverting to a single NAtional currency. Whether any other Country will want to tie itself to a new currency centred on Germany is in doubt as that currency is going to soar to a far more realistic exchange rate, rendering industry uncompetitive in the short term.
We will be far better on the sidelines watching this happen.
Ironically, the big winner will be the City of London which will win most of the huge increase in currency trading.
June 25, 2019
What are âtheyâ trying to impose that people do not want?
Asking for a friend who enjoys rights as a consumer, worker and human which the Tories want to take away.
June 25, 2019
You’ve been answered on this several times:
– EU Digital VAT
– Factortame
– Article 13&15
– The Seed Rules
– The rules banning naming products “burgers”.
– The new rules on biodegradable plastics designed to hit the UK plastics firms
– VAT levels (and removal of Zero-rates)
etc.
June 26, 2019
Andy, Since the EU is an artificial creation, it has no intrinsic rights to give to anybody.
June 25, 2019
Your logic looks good. But for the part about Germany, any country would be mad to align itself with the Deutchmark. If Germany is not there to under wright the Euro, I see them all bailing out. No Euro, the EU political project begins to implode. The end of this current version of the EU.
June 26, 2019
Correct. They are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.
June 25, 2019
@ ChrisS “There is not a cat in hellâs chance of German taxpayers agreeing to the full-blown transfer union…”
Agreed, which is why there is not a cat in hellâs chance of German taxpayers ever being asked for their consent either before or after that happens.
June 26, 2019
True. They were never asked if they wanted to join the EURO.
June 25, 2019
ChrisS said: “There is not a cat in hellâs chance of German taxpayers agreeing to the full-blown transfer union . . .“.
True. But they won’t be asked. And even if they were asked, and said “No”, they would be ignored. The EU and its hangers-on have form on this.
June 25, 2019
Introducing a common currency for the EU so early in its development was a big macroeconomic mistake. Very much putting the proverbial Cart before the Horse.
The US didn’t adopt a common paper currency till 1862, and that was to finance the Civil War. Transfer payments between rich and poor US states via the federal taxation system, is a much more recent adoption. The Eurozone will be forced to adopt a similar system to the US; that is, a federal tax system.
The 19 Euro using EU states plus the 7 member states that are committed to adopt the Euro currency – but show no signs of joining the prerequisite ERM 2 process; just leaves the UK as the only EU state with an uncommitted independent currency.
PS. Before you jump down my throat as usual, the Danish Kroner is pegged to the Euro currency inside ERM 2.
June 25, 2019
acorn
“just leaves the UK as the only EU state with an uncommitted independent currency.”
Which is dropping like a stone against it.
June 26, 2019
Margaret Howard, Your EU fanaticism stops you seeing reality. You carry on though, it’ll help to prevent your opposition to our freedom from being effective.
June 28, 2019
Your lack of education stops you seeing reality NickC. Brexiteer MPs are taking full advantage of that fact. They daily sell you another “pig in a poke” and you daily buy it.
June 25, 2019
The chatteraties of the BBC Politics Show are busy at it sowing confusion over Brexit and Boris. It defines the BBC policy to fight Brexit and denigrate Boris. They are an appalling organisation ripe for terminal change.
June 25, 2019
agricola
Denigrate Boris? Surely he doesn’t need any help there? Nobody could do it as well as he does.
June 27, 2019
agricola
Agreed.
June 25, 2019
Rugge said the other day that the EU political project was abandoned in 2012. Why did he say such a stupid blatant lie. Is May’s disease that rampant ??
June 25, 2019
I would be very interested to ask the EU Commsion whether “remain” is actually an option anymore? I rather think we’re beyond that and only “rejoin” is an option now, and on very different terms.
June 25, 2019
What a pile of hysterical rubbish. Everything you describe is merely proposals. None of this can happen unless there is agreement by the member states and the directly elected European Parliament. The UK used to have a loud and influential voice – Mrs Thatcher made great use of that – but the pygmy Brexiters have made sure we are now sitting sulking on the sidelines. These proposals might or might not happen and they will certainky affect the UK because we sit right next to the EU and always will, but we will have no say. Far from taking back control, Brexit means craven surrender and running away from responsibility.
June 25, 2019
The EU really took notice of Cameron. All his reform suggestions, they really took them to heart. But before Brexit you claim we had influence. Oh! you mean when Bliar gave back ÂŁ2B (now cost us ÂŁ26B) a year rebate for reform of the CAP. They took the money and did nothing. That kind of influence ??
June 25, 2019
I saw an TV interview yesterday with Sir John Nott.
I was rather surprised that he was still alive – seeing that all I remember of him is that he was old in the 1980s. But I digress.
He proudly shouted at Adam Boulton that he wanted Brexit âat any price.â
Yes, Mr Nott, the problem is that as an 87 year old it will not be you paying the bill. It will be me and my children and my grandchildren.
And, frankly, it would be easier and cheaper for you just to get over your petty dislike of foreigners.
June 25, 2019
yawn … emigrate while you still can to somewhere that you won’t have to pay the UK bill you fear.
June 25, 2019
Andy of the minority.
“And, frankly, it would be easier and cheaper for you just to get over your petty dislike of foreigners.”
So why don’t you take the lead by getting over your petty dislike of the English ?
June 25, 2019
I have never viewed BJ as a person that belongs to something, to me, he has always been an individual who needs to do his own thing, i can only view that as good thing when being a leader and would leave him to get on with it.
Some leaders need advice every day and some need advice one a week while rolling out their plan.
GB had more advises than anyone while being surrounded by tv with reports coming in the whole the UK and from all around the world with him in the middle and lost the next election.
June 25, 2019
So the EU would like to renegotiate the Dublin Regulation, but not the EU Withdrawal act ( as yet & never will be a treaty ) Double standards as usual, the quicker we are out the better
June 25, 2019
[…] The EU is seeking yet more power from the member states â John Redwood […]
June 25, 2019
Redwood Diary Speaking for England (cough …”I couldn’t give a damn about the other home nations)
Diary-
to do list –
– Spout oppression of the least well off
– Sleep
– Die
Hobbies none – I’m a boring Tory pleb!
June 25, 2019
Ah! A remainer!
Never a comment without as many insults as can be crammed in.
Well done. True to form.
June 26, 2019
Actually I want Brexit…Stupid Identity Politics …true to form
June 25, 2019
[…] The EU is seeking yet more power from the member states – John Redwood […]
June 25, 2019
Iâm wondering ….
Post Brexit, when you are waiting in an unnecessarily long airport border queue – with your new oversized French-made blue passport – will you spare any thought for the workers at De La Rue who have lost their jobs?
Could you not have just bought a blue passport cover instead and saved all the hassle?
June 25, 2019
any more flashes of inspiration we could avoid hassle by following?
June 25, 2019
Andy
Could you not just shut up and save some oxygen ?
June 25, 2019
Your sympathy for the lost passport printing order and the lost jobs is misplaced andy because the UK cannot choose just UK companies when placing govt contracts.
The EU says it must be an EU wide open bidding process and a French company put in a good bid.
Are you in favour of this or not?
June 26, 2019
Andy, You would sell out your country to EU hegemony just because you think – but don’t actually know – that there may be slightly longer airport queues? Really? You have just shown how hopeless the Remain position is.
June 25, 2019
JR
What excellent aims. And we are faced with the prospect of Boris!
Britain is a country where a new prime minister will be chosen by 0.3% of the electorate, to from a government that doesnt have a majority, in a party that is at 20% in the polls, to try and deliver something that majority of the country does not want. What a time to be alive
June 25, 2019
not bad summary, but the majority does want. tut tut. memory lapse again?
June 25, 2019
MH
“…..deliver something that majority of the country does not want. ”
How do you work that out then ? You know, what with remainers being in the MINORITY !
June 25, 2019
Margaret Howard,
In the UK the electorate never chooses the PM. Given the wrecking behaviour of Bercow, Cooper, Letwin, Grieve, it could be argued that it is time that the UK elects a ‘President’ who then appoints an executive.
June 25, 2019
The EU Commission, creates your laws, your rules and your standards. You have no say, you cannot propose new ones, you cannot ammend them. You must at all times obey them. You cannot elect or remove anyone from the EU Commission
Your vaguely selected representative (they were appointed for you) is permitted to find a way to enact these orders. is rubber-stamp them.
The EU commission grants you rights, however these are the same rights that were never taken from you if you lived in a free society.
In practice Parliament s of EU states are just glorified over capacity expensive local councils
June 25, 2019
Similar rules apply to all the main parties and have done for decades.
Party members choose their leader.
If the party is the current government then that person becomes PM.
Your turn comes at the next general election.
June 25, 2019
“asking social media platforms to prevent material harmful to the EU.”
Ah yes, that’s a German meme from the wartime 1940s. It was a crime known as ‘Wehrzersetzung’ – the putting about of any news or opinion likely to harm the German state.
Naturally it covered everything that criticised National Socialism or contradicted the state media. The punishment was of course either death, or a concentration camp – i.e. slightly delayed death.
Very similar idea the Brussels Commission has had there. Well done chaps.
June 25, 2019
JR
“They want to renegotiate the Dublin Regulation which requires a member state to offer safe haven to a migrant if that state is their first place of arrival in the EU.”
I bet they do, with the prospect looming of no longer being able to (encourage ed) them to the UK !
My guess is the french – led commission will want to (encourage ed)migrants to Ireland.
June 25, 2019
Leadership and new Prime Minister EU policy options to dateâŠwhat I understand and have heard so far.
1. Renegotiate the WA and/or maybe just the backstop and/or maybe just the future relationship and attempt to leave on the 31st October with a possibility of another extension to ensure deal is made
2. Renegotiate the WA and/or maybe just the backstop and/or maybe just the future relationship and leave on the 31st October with WTO and/or FTA and/or GATT 24
What isnât on the table and should be
3. Confirm to the country and EU that we are leaving on the 31st October and invite the EU to enter into immediate negotiations for WTO
June 25, 2019
The MSM/BBC never ask the remainers to define what remain looks like in a few years’ time.
Some scenarios are quite frightening and of course major decisions affecting the lives of millions of EU citizens will be taken by unelected bureaucrats and/or by QMV where some countries are over represented and have no empathy with ourselves.
June 25, 2019
“It is setting out a new âframework for targeted restraint measuresâ which will include asking social media platforms to prevent material harmful to the EU.”
As mentioned before, Mr Erdogan has been picking up bad “European values” from his friends in Europe. But holding a second election in Istanbul on the ground that it was a narrow result and there were “alleged irregularities” produced a landslide for the opposition, despite Mr E having a lot of influence over the media, as the EU and remainiacs do here.
What is worrying about the EU is that they are no longer content to control the MSM. They want to control the internet as well. If Mr E had done that, things might have turned out differently.
June 26, 2019
Well, what do you know?
https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor-varadkars-bluff-over-the-border-may-soon-be-exposed-38254509.html
“Varadkarâs bluff over the Border may soon be exposed'”
June 26, 2019
We already have self-censorship of our mainstream media. Sounds like the EU want to take down the smaller providers by imposing financial penalties to force them out of business. The army is to keep rebellious citizens and countries in their place. The greatest risk to sovereignty is the proposed removal of the veto of new tax legislation. Once countries lose their ability to raise and spend taxes then their parliaments become redundant. Deciding policies by Qualified Majority Voting means that as poorer countries join the EU they will vote to spread out wealth. Sounds like the old USSR to me. There are troubling times ahead, which is why we need to leave now.
June 26, 2019
“The EU continued its sanctions against Russia.” as illustrated by the deal with Germany to provide gas.