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EU

pickles

Pickles refuses to disclose government number of Romanians and Bulgarians set to come to UK

13 January 2013 13:59

The Europe debate is raging in the Sunday papers ahead of Cameron’s speech on the matter. There’s mounting concern among Tory Cabinet Ministers that the speech will not go far… Continue reading

81 Comments
Lord Heseltine publishes his growth review for Number 10 today. Picture: Getty

The Britain in Europe crowd were wrong then, so why should they be right now?

12 January 2013 11:40

Ed Miliband’s speech to the Fabians is being rather over-shadowed today by Lord Heseltine’s attack on David Cameron’s EU policy; the political media like nothing more than a ‘Tories split… Continue reading

90 Comments
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Dav

EU Shocker: The United States agrees with the British Government! - Spectator Blogs

10 January 2013 12:51

Good grief. Are we supposed to be surprised that senior officials at the US State Department take the view that Britain should, all things considered, remain a member of the… Continue reading

20 Comments
POLITICS Tories

Tory minister says yes to EU and no to immigration to win at 2015

12 December 2012 8:30

David Cameron’s Conservative modernisation agenda is struggling. Several of today’s front pages highlight how traditional Tory issues — immigration and family values — have returned to the centre stage. And many of… Continue reading

60 Comments
President Of European Commission Receives Honorary Degree

Scottish Independence and Europe: Who does this Barroso guy think he is? - Spectator Blogs

11 December 2012 12:10

Today’s Think Scotland column takes a gander at the rumpus over an independent Scotland’s accession to the EU. Until recently the SNP promised that said accession would be automatic. Now… Continue reading

27 Comments
Merkel-Kick_SE

The View from 22 — Britain vs. Germany, kicking the Lib Dems and the BBC 28

15 November 2012 9:19

Are Britain and Germany heading for an almightily clash over the future of the EU? In this week’s Spectator, Christopher Caldwell argues that Angela Merkel has had enough of Britain’s… Continue reading

27 Comments
British European deputies and Euroscepti

Britain, Scotland, Norway and Europe: lands of magical Sovereignty-Unicorns - Spectator Blogs

12 November 2012 12:38

Even the cheapest, Poundland crystal ball will tell even a blind observer that Europe is pretty soon going to be a pretty hefty problem for almost all of Britain’s political… Continue reading

15 Comments
Is David Cameron doing what the public want in Brussels? Photo: Getty Images.

Is David Cameron struggling to keep up with public opinion on Europe?

5 November 2012 14:52

Over the past two weeks, the government has been desperately trying to harden its position on the European Union to match public opinion. David Cameron has been rather bullish with… Continue reading

55 Comments
Nigel Farage made the case for leaving the EU. Image: Getty

UKIP are being taken more seriously but they have got to cut out the unforced errors

4 November 2012 11:47

With UKIP regularly challenging the Liberal Democrats for third place in the polls, the party is now beginning to be treated with the seriousness it deserves. In an interview on… Continue reading

104 Comments
David Cameron needs to clarify specifics on an EU referendum before Christmas. Photo: Getty Images.

David Cameron needs to detail EU referendum plans soon to avoid future rebellions

1 November 2012 13:33

‘I thought it would hurt more than it did’ one loyalist minister remarked after last night’s government defeat on the EU budget. The fact that the vote isn’t going to… Continue reading

25 Comments
Will our press be gagged by statutory regulation?

The View from 22 — the fight for press freedom and an EU problem for Cameron

1 November 2012 10:02

What effect would any form of statutory regulation have on the press in this country? In this week’s cover feature, Nick Cohen writes that if the Leveson Inquiry recommends strong measures… Continue reading

13 Comments
BELGIUM-EU-SUMMIT-FINANCE-PUBLIC-DEBT

Government expects to lose EU budget vote

31 October 2012 16:16

While the rebel whips are still rounding up Tory MPs to vote against the government on the EU budget motion, which starts in the Commons shortly, a senior government source… Continue reading

22 Comments
BRITAIN-POPPY-DOWNING-STREET

PMQs: David Cameron needs to show he has control of EU vote

31 October 2012 11:34

At PMQs today, David Cameron will need to go some distance to meet his backbenchers and head off a government defeat tonight on the EU budget. He’ll need to say… Continue reading

9 Comments
EU Budget

Why David Cameron isn’t proposing a cut in the EU budget

29 October 2012 15:40

Cutting the EU budget is a very good idea. Much of it is spent inefficiently and its priorities are all wrong, 40 percent of it goes on agriculture. Given that… Continue reading

34 Comments
David Cameron may face problems trying to negotiate with the EU. Photo: Getty Images.

The Conservative renegotiation strategy

27 October 2012 9:00

In The Spectator this week, Charles Moore argued that David Cameron — despite his oft-stated desire to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership — doesn’t actually have a European… Continue reading

63 Comments
Everyone's shooting the BBC. Amusing, maybe, but we may come to regret it.

The View from 22 — BBC in crisis, a Major problem for the Conservatives and Lost in Europe

25 October 2012 9:39

What is going to happen next with the BBC Jimmy Salvile saga? In this week’s magazine cover, Rod Liddle blames institutional problems within the organisation and predicts there will be… Continue reading

17 Comments
Blank sheets of paper are all the rage on EU policy Photo: Ben Richardson

Labour conference: Blank sheets of paper are all the rage on EU policy

1 October 2012 12:22

It’s no secret that the Conservative party is in a bit of a pickle about Europe at the moment, and Douglas Alexander quite wisely chose to exploit the ravine that… Continue reading

3 Comments

Barroso’s warning

13 November 2011 10:52

José Manuel Barroso’s article in The Observer today is a plea for relevance. When you cut through the usual EU jargon, what you find is the Commission President—predictably—declaring his opposition… Continue reading

27 Comments

The Greek Crisis in a Single Chart

19 October 2011 15:36

There are some – especially on the American left – who give the impression of thinking that if only the European Central Bank behaved differently or if only Angela Merkel… Continue reading

10 Comments

The Polish Invasion Was A Good Thing

28 September 2011 0:09

It seems typical of Labour’s reaction to being removed from office after 13 frustrating years in power that it should have decided to disown one of its braver, better, bolder… Continue reading

25 Comments