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Author: TSE

BACK TO THE FUTURE – Part 1  Europe has changed – We can’t put  Humpty together again.

BACK TO THE FUTURE – Part 1  Europe has changed – We can’t put  Humpty together again.

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In the first of a two part series, Alanbrooke looks at our relationship with the EU. As the Brexit debate rolls on the recent ruling by the ECJ Advocate General that the UK can unilaterally revoke article 50 brings a new angle to proceedings. Suddenly it is a lot easier to stay in. The uncertainty around how to stay in the EU and under which terms looks a lot clearer and in some ways simpler. So set aside the mechanics of…

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The first months of a Corbyn government

The first months of a Corbyn government

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It’s objectively clear that there is a genuine possibility of a Corbyn government within months, possibly even weeks. That might be after an election, or it might be simply that the Conservatives lose the will to govern: there is a limit to how long governments can function with every vote at risk of failure, and yielding to a minority Labour government which is also subject to hostile majorities at every turn may seem a lesser evil. But there’s been very…

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EU and Whose Army?

EU and Whose Army?

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There is no subject that will more rapidly inflame the jowls of a Euroskeptic than that of the EU Army. It is often employed as the trump card that will instantly and irrevocably end all discussion of further European integration. The basis of this antipathy has never been fully established but seems to be founded, in the first instance on misguided fealty to NATO and, in the second, to the exceptionalist view that no other European nation than the British…

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Nunc dimittis: Theresa May’s exit approaches

Nunc dimittis: Theresa May’s exit approaches

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“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.” What is Theresa May’s premiership for?  She was chosen by her party to effect Brexit and she has applied herself with determination to the task ever since.  She spent the first months whipping the Leave faithful into a fervour, convincing them that she was on their side. Thus we learned that Brexit was Brexit and that she wanted a red white and blue Brexit. An effigy…

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Take two – how would a fresh referendum play out?

Take two – how would a fresh referendum play out?

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A spectre is haunting Parliament – the spectre of a new referendum.  On Tuesday, Parliament voted to allow itself to amend any back-up plan that the government brought forward in the event that its own deal was defeated in the meaningful vote next week. As things stand, defeat in that vote looks inevitable at present. The odds on a #peoplesvote or fresh referendum or re-ferendum or whatever you want to call it have risen sharply as a result. A fresh…

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French toast – Bread and butter issues burn Macron

French toast – Bread and butter issues burn Macron

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Aux armes citoyens! or at least put on your yellow hi-vis. In the last month, 50 years after the explosion of 1968, the French are once again taking to the streets.  Whereas Mai 68 was a cocktail of demands for a freer more open society, Decembre 18 is more a cry of anger about a stagnant standard of living. France is increasingly struggling to satisfy its citizen’s aspirations. In the post war world France progressed rapidly during Les Trente Glorieuses  the…

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The question supporters of a ‘People’s vote’ need to answer. If another referendum is good enough for the UK, then surely it must be good enough for Scotland?

The question supporters of a ‘People’s vote’ need to answer. If another referendum is good enough for the UK, then surely it must be good enough for Scotland?

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Scotland could become an independent nation without another referendum if Scots elect a large majority of SNP MPs or if the SNP win a majority of the vote in Scotland at a Westminster GE. The SNP won 35 out 59 seats at GE2017 with under 37% of the vote.https://t.co/HAIRzuSZ58 pic.twitter.com/gElzpubu8c — TSE (@TSEofPB) December 2, 2018 Even though I’m someone who considers Brexit the greatest blunder this country has undertaken since appeasement I’m not a fan of another referendum until…

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Take Khan to the bank

Take Khan to the bank

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The tip I’m about to give is not particularly exciting, or thrilling and it certainly won’t get you rich overnight seeing as the potential payday in question is top price 2-5 and 542 days away at the time of writing this article. But it is highly likely to win, more than the implied 71.4% that the odds suggest. The bet is Sadiq Khan to win the London mayoral election in 2020. Unlike many long term political bets (Tory & Labour…

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