EU politics
May’s disastrous dinner with Juncker: Episode II
Well, that lasted long. Although Theresa May didn’t get the green light to talk trade on her EU council summit…
What drives populism?
What has led to the rise of populism? The conventional answer involves inequality, flattening wages – and general economic malaise.…
Michel Barnier’s arrogant inflexibility over Brexit comes from a long Gallic tradition
If Michel Barnier and David Davis, in their regular dialogue of the deaf, seem to be inhabiting different mental universes,…
The paradox at the heart of Catalan separatism
Driving out of Barcelona, into the rural hinterland of Catalonia, you soon lose count of all the Catalan flags flying…
Angela Merkel throws Theresa May a lifeline
Few in Whitehall believed that Theresa May’s trip to the EU Council summit this week would result in Britain being…
What the papers say: Ministers must take a Brexit ‘no deal’ seriously
Deal or no deal? Whatever type of Brexit Britain ends up with, the government should take the prospect of walking…
The Economist’s Brexit Cliffe edge
Earlier this week, the New York Times introduced social media guidelines for its journalists. The rules were designed to ensure…
Digby Jones should be on the Brexit negotiating team
Ah yes, our top Brexit negotiating team… Sack Boris! Sack Spreadsheet Phil! Don’t bother sacking Theresa because she’s already had…
The Brexit negotiations are an irrelevant sideshow
So far the Government has been acting as if the Brexit negotiations stand a chance of success and that everything…
What the papers say: The EU’s absurd Brexit bill demand
Theresa May is under pressure from the European Union to spell out more details on what Britain will pay as…
Will tonight’s Brexit supper be the dinner party from hell?
Theresa May heads to Brussels this evening for supper with Jean-Claude Juncker, Michel Barnier and Martin Selmayr. The good news…
The cost of a Brexit ‘no deal’ is diminishing
The exit bill keeps going higher and higher. No progress has been made on the Irish border, and not much…
Sebastian Kurz’s shift to the right pays off
Eat your heart out, Kim Jong-un. As of today, the tubby North Korean tyrant is no longer the most youthful…
Babies not bombs are what the Islamists want from their women
Sally Jones was a waste of space. The principal purpose of the former British punk rocker turned Islamic extremist was…
The problem with Hungary’s toothless opposition
The name of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is on the lips of most left-wing, liberal politicians and intellectuals…
Catalonia’s referendum was a coup shrouded in a cloak of democracy
The Catalan nationalists surely chose this October deliberately for their attempt, now faltering, at UDI. It is the centenary of…
The embarrassing role of economists on Brexit
Just when the Brexit talks were beginning to look humiliating for the UK, the position has begun to be reversed.…
Ireland’s abortion debate will be next year’s big culture war
If you’re fed up with endless bickering over Brexit, spare a thought for the citizens of Ireland. The government here…
The rank hypocrisy of France’s anti-Brexit rock star
One of France’s most famous rock stars is soon to release a new album and last week he gave fans…
Michel Barnier and David Davis’s ‘very disturbing’ deadlock
For all the talk of a new ‘momentum’ to the Brexit talks since Theresa May’s Florence speech, today’s press conference…
Catalonia deserves independence as much as any other state
Few, if any, commentators have seen fit to discuss the wider issue and the underlying morality from first principles. The…
Franco’s fascism is alive and kicking in Spain
Barcelona After the demonstration in Barcelona on Sunday, I happened to walk past the city’s main police station. A unionist…
What the papers say: Why we must prepare for a Brexit ‘no deal’
Theresa May’s ‘I’m in charge’ message she delivered to Parliament wasn’t only aimed at MPs – it was also directed…
Theresa May should appoint a Secretary of State for No Deal
The Brexit talks collapsing would be a bad thing. It shouldn’t be the aim of the UK government, but it…
The Bombardier dispute could actually bring down May’s government
When governments fall it often comes from an unexpected quarter. Thirty eight years ago, James Callaghan’s government fell not as…
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