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The Bruges Group spearheaded the intellectual battle to win a vote to leave the European Union and, above all, against the emergence of a centralised EU state.
The Bruges Group spearheaded the intellectual battle to win a vote to leave the European Union and, above all, against the emergence of a centralised EU state.
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Before his recent retirement, Dr Jonathan Swift was a Senior Lecturer in International Business & Marketing at Salford Business School, the University of Salford, Manchester. He has also taught at the Manchester Business School, on the Executive MBA programme, and has been involved in socio-linguistic pre-departure training for personnel from...

Before his recent retirement, Dr Jonathan Swift was a Senior Lecturer in International Business & Marketing at Salford Business School, the University of Salford, Manchester. He has also taught at the Manchester Business School, on the Executive MBA programme, and has been involved in socio-linguistic pre-departure training for personnel from major companies who were to go to Latin America to take up positions there. Jonathan has written a number of books: the two most recent being Brexit KBO (2018) published by Cambridge Academic, Cambridge, and Understanding Business in the Global Economy: A Multi-Level Relationship Approach (2017) Macmillan Publishers, London. He has just completed another book entitled: The South American Pacific War: Nationalism, Nitrates, Gunboats and Guano, which deals with the war between and the Peruvian-Bolivian Alliance (1879-1884). His main research interests include foreign languages, culture, military history, and all things dealing with Latin America. He has lived and worked in a number of countries: Brazil, Colombia, Italy, and Mexico, and speaks Spanish.

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Illegal Immigration

Trafficking Soon - four star hotels, food and free money
We are now well into May, and it appears that the flood of illegal immigrants across the channel has not abated – if anything, as the weather improves it is likely to increase. The opportunity to control our borders, and to decide who enters the UK and for how long, was a key strand of Brexit, yet nearly seven years after the momentous vote, nothin...
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  477 Hits

Don’t Kill the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg

Margaret Thatcher & Boris Johnson
One of the less-endearing qualities of the Conservative and Unionist Party (and I speak as a life-long Conservative voter), is the lemming-like compulsion to immediate change leader if things appear not to be going their way. 'Throwing out the baby with the bathwater' appears to be the inevitable jerk reaction by some MPs, regardless of the value o...
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  1042 Hits

Please Keep A Sense of Proportion

boris-johnson-ga22dca75e_1280
Whether the PM had gatherings/meetings/parties at No 10 and/or Whitehall is merely 'froth' or 'fluff', compared with the events unfolding throughout the country and the world. It is this unbalanced focus on trivia that has increasingly annoyed me, to the extent that I have been motivated to put metaphorical pen to paper, in an attempt to highlight ...
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  1577 Hits

An Open Letter to Steven Barclay

Steven-Barclay
We are scheduled to begin what will hopefully be our last trade talks with the EU; I suspect we can be sure of a bumpy ride featuring the same of old EU tricks of deceit, mendacity, obfuscation, procrastination, threats and attempts to undermine our position through appeals to the Brussels 'Fifth Column' that is apparently still alive and well, and...
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  3693 Hits

What Boris Did Next

Boris-signing
I will be celebrating the 'New year' on 31st January 2020, although I cannot help be a little annoyed by the fact that we have to celebrate at 11:00 rather than 12:00 – presumably for the convenience of Brussels! Having said that, it is a very small price to pay for our freedom. This year will be momentous, as not only are we escaping the EU, but w...
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  3835 Hits

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Farage-and-Boris
Eventually we have a Brexit deal that has been approved by the partisan Parliament, in what is hopefully their last ever appearance on our television screens for some of this current batch of members. As was doubtless their intention, they have left the government, and Boris in particular, with a major problem, and many of those who have deliberate...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Coram Deo
SOVEREIGNTY IS INDIVISIBLE - AND THE OPPONENTS OF BREXIT KNOW IT Those patriots who believe that the United Kingdom can and should... Read More
Tuesday, 05 November 2019 20:48
Guest — Coram Deo
EU DEFENCE UNION: WHAT IS EI2 Our summary is that EI2 was founded to overcome the slow pace of European Military Unification. Its ... Read More
Tuesday, 05 November 2019 20:48
Guest — Sandra Barwick
Yes. This is where we are. Farage wants us to leave more than anyone, and I would guess that in the end, in some constituencies, h... Read More
Tuesday, 05 November 2019 22:37
  4336 Hits

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Robert-Wright-
I would hazard a guess that the majority of people in the country are by now exceedingly fed up with the Brexit saga, and just want us to leave at the earliest opportunity. This view has even been expressed by 'remainer' friends of mine, most of whom appear to have accepted the outcome of a democratic referendum, even though they disagreed with it....
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  3851 Hits

In War, Truth is the First Casualty

Jo-Swinson-Stop-Brexit
Make no mistake about it, we are at war, and it is one of the dirtiest wars yet fought, in which the truth has been hijacked by the 'Remainers' and twisted to suit their personal agenda. Look at what has happened over the last three years, and especially over the last three months: those who never wanted to leave have stepped up their campaign of l...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Adam Hiley
I look forward to help kick these arrogant clowns out of Parliament and out of Our lives no more Grieve Soubry Lee Swinson Al... Read More
Sunday, 15 September 2019 19:03
  5331 Hits

You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It

Brexit-cake
Having one's cake, eating it - demanding more, and eating that, has long been a feature of the EU Brexit negotiating team. A recent example of their hypocrisy is to be found in the wave of faux outrage over Boris Johnson's threat that if he became PM, he would refuse to pay the £39 billion that Brussels is demanding from us. In terms of the race fo...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Adam Hiley
thank god for Boris and good riddance to dithering May
Sunday, 15 September 2019 19:05
  5253 Hits

We Can Work It Out

Screenshot_20190530-104240_Google
 "Life is very short, and there's no time, for fussing and fighting, my friend." (John Lennon and Paul McCartney – 1965 "We Can Work It Out")We had one deadline - 29th March – for leaving the EU, which was inexplicably lost in the mists of political time. (Political time is like real time, but without reality, adherence to deadlines, or t...
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  5150 Hits

Tell Us What Do You Want!

Screenshot_20190529-182452_Google
​I have become increasingly annoyed over the last year by those people who decry the desirability of leaving the EU on WTO terms – commonly referred to as 'no deal'. As I have pointed out on a number of occasions (Swift, 2018a, 2018b, 2019a, 2019b, 2019c), an exit without an agreement would give us numerous advantages when dealing with the EU, in p...
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Recent Comments
John Poynton
You may be interested in my latest futile attempt at getting the editor of the Sunday Telegraph to publish a letter! Here is what ... Read More
Tuesday, 02 July 2019 17:27
  4111 Hits

The Long and Winding Road just got a bit longer

So we now know that the leaders of the other EU nations, doubtless pressured by the cabal of Eurocrats, have agreed to an extension of time before we can finally escape from the EU. They have, however, made this extension conditional on MPs accepting the PM's deal. Very clever. As I have consistently pointed out, Brussels does not want us to leave,...
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  4203 Hits

‘No deal’ is our only remaining negotiating weapon; don’t decommission it.

Approaching the Wire at the Eleventh Hour I have written about Brexit for a number of months now and basically my message has been the same: keep our collective nerve and hold out for a good deal. By a 'good deal' I mean one that allows us free trade with the EU – nothing more. No shady 'backstops', no mealy-mouthed words that allow the 'reject pol...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Adam Hiley
May has to go and a clearout of Parliament of Remoaners needs to happen No deal is still likely britishconstitutiongroup.co... Read More
Saturday, 16 March 2019 19:11
  5570 Hits

Members of Parliament should be careful what they wish for

As we grind inexorably to the Brexit finishing line, we should remember what happened just under three years ago, since it is becoming increasingly obvious that many - in particular our MPs - have either very short or very selective memories. In June 2016, there was a nation-wide referendum when the then government asked the people whether they wan...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Adam Hiley
worth looking at davidmurrin.co.uk britishconstitutiongroup.com
Sunday, 24 March 2019 18:45
  7531 Hits

The Great Betrayal of UK Democracy

Whilst I would be the first to concede that everyone (including MPs) has the right to voice their personal opinion, those Members of Parliament who were elected to represent their constituents, must do so regardless of their own opinions when it comes to major issues of national importance such as Brexit. In other words, where an MP represents a co...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Gerard Dugdill
Interesting point about by elections. Cf Carswell, Reckless
Wednesday, 27 February 2019 00:30
  5813 Hits

Dull but desperate days

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." PM Winston Churchill Speech at Lord Mayor's Banquet, Mansion House, London (10th November, 1942)  Despite having said only three days ago that she would not postpone the vote in the House of Commons on her proposed bill (Maidm...
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  4153 Hits

No deal – an opportunity not a problem

A Second Referendum? I find it ironic that the basis on which the EU Fifth Column (the anti-democratic 'remoaners') have been waging war since the result of the referendum was announced is broadly that the public were not told all the facts that would come into play if they voted 'leave' in 2016.Their convoluted logic goes: we need another referend...
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Recent Comments
John Poynton
Interesting reference to Peter Mandleson as an EU Commissioner for Trade, when our experience of free trade within the so-called f... Read More
Sunday, 17 February 2019 16:14
  5185 Hits

Is there a ‘special place in hell’ reserved for Donald Tusk?

Having listened to the ravings of the men from Brussels as they become increasingly afraid of a 'no deal' scenario, it is heartening to hear the latest outburst from a man who is supposed to show responsible leadership to the EU and the rest of Europe. I am outraged (but rather pleased) by the highly inflammatory comments that Donald Tusk made. I a...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Jonathan S. Swift
In reply to the comment, might I add that whilst I agree that Donald Tusk has not had the depth of experience that others have had... Read More
Sunday, 17 February 2019 22:12
  4375 Hits

Now this is not the end...

'Now this is not the end.  It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.'  Prime Minister Winston Churchill November 10th 1942 The Betrayal Despite having said that she would not postpone the vote in the House of Commons on her proposed Brexit bill, Theresa May eventually accepted that the gov...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Christopher Ruiz
This is an Excellent post & I would definitely recommend it to others. I’m here to inform you about our Professional services reg... Read More
Monday, 02 December 2019 11:44
Guest — Clayton Kramer
This Blog is very Helpful and Professional. I would share this Information with Others and also I want to inform you regarding ou... Read More
Monday, 02 December 2019 11:45
Guest — Daniel Douglas
I read a lot of posts but the topic covered in this is the most comprehensive & helpful. I would definitely recommend it to other... Read More
Monday, 02 December 2019 11:46
  5654 Hits

The EU, Spain, and Gibraltar

Before the official signing of Mrs May's attempt at 'peace for our time' (Swift, 2018a), the Spanish government decided to throw an unwelcome spanner into the Brexit negotiations by stating that it would scupper any Brexit deal that did not include 'concessions' from the UK over the status of Gibraltar. Unfortunately, as if in confirmation of suppo...
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  5205 Hits

“We Won’t Get Fooled Again”

"Smile and grin at the change all around. Pick up my guitar and play….just like yesterday. Then I'll get on my knees and pray… we won't get fooled again" The Who (1971) "We Won't Get Fooled Again", from "Who's Next?" On 10th November I had the good fortune to attend the 'Brexit or Bust' Bruges Group Conference in London. There were some very good p...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Adam Hiley
Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of the ousting of one of Our greatest Leaders Margaret Thatcher, lets also make it the end of ... Read More
Friday, 23 November 2018 13:23
  6383 Hits

“Gimme Some Truth”

"I've had enough of reading things By neurotic psychotic pigheaded politicians All I want is the truth, just give me some truth." John Lennon: "Gimme Some Truth." From Imagine (1971) 'Truth' about Brexit 'Truth' is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as: 'The quality or state of being true', or as: 'A fact or belief that is accepted as t...
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  4895 Hits

Do you expect us to negotiate?

"Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr.Bond. I expect you to die" (1) In a book published in June of this year (Swift, 2018a) and a blog the following month, (Swift 2018b), I predicted that reaching a mutually-beneficial accord with the EU would be very difficult, if not impossible, as they have no desire to come to any form of agreement with us, havi...
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Recent Comments
Guest — Janet Tanner-Tremaine
Sadly, your opening paragraph has proved true in every respect. The EU has no thoughts other than to punish the UK for leaving. ... Read More
Saturday, 29 September 2018 10:25
  7845 Hits

Mrs May’s ‘Scrap of Paper’: will it be ‘Peace for our time’?

A 'scrap of paper' was how the German Chancellor famously dismissed the Treaty of London (19th April, 1839), in which Britain, France, Germany, Austria and Russia all agreed to recognise the existence, neutrality and sovereignty of the newly – formed country of Belgium. "Peace for our time" was what PM Neville Chamberlain promised Britain, after me...
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  5376 Hits

Go Now: Call Brussels’ Bluff Leave the EU immediately and without a deal

1. Introduction Despite Phillip Lee's last minute betrayal of the government, the House of Lord's amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill was defeated by twenty-six votes on 12th June. Whilst there is doubtless some celebrating, Mrs May is still not out of danger – in fact, the dissention amongst a number of Conservatives would appear to be growing. Th...
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  6245 Hits
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