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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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Bruges Group Blog

Spearheading the intellectual battle against the EU. And for new thinking in international affairs.
Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs

Rolf Norfolk

The Persistence Of Memory

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The Jewish Museum in Thessaloniki is carefully guarded. The man who let us in the outer door asked where we were from; it may have been more than polite interest. The inner door was electronically operated by another watchman in a shadowy cubbyhole. The first room held stone fragments from the centuries-old 80-acre Jewish cemetery outside the city'...
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Rolf Norfolk

Greece's Vampire Squid Rings

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In 2010 journalist Matt Taibbi shot to a new level of prominence with his 'vampire squid' label for Goldman Sachs '… relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.' Greece's Establishment has chosen to use that as a model. In a moment, we will look at the official scam known as 'Hercules'. As with the concentration of p...
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Greece Syriza Varoufakis Kyriakos Mitsotakis Pasok
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Rolf Norfolk

Greece's New Democracy

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From Our Man In Thessaloniki Greeks go to the polls on Sunday to elect their national legislature. Voting is compulsory, even for Greeks abroad (as so many are, since the economy crashed), but the obligation is not enforced and the turnout in 2019 was less than 58%. Foreigners who are permanently resident may also take part (something that our Sir ...
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democracy election Greece Grexit Syriza
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Bruges Group Research

European Scrutiny Committee Letter To Rishi Sunak

Ten The Government are Not Listening
European Scrutiny CommitteeHouse of Commons London SW1A 0AATel (020) 7219 3292 Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.parliament.uk/escom From: Sir William Cash MP 15 May 2023 Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP Prime Minister10 Downing StreetLondon SW1A 2AA Change in Government policy on Retained EU Law and the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill Dear P...
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ECB Brexit Opportunities Backstabbing UK Sovereignty Retained Law
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Rolf Norfolk

Out pops the cloven hoof

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Yesterday (Thursday 11 May) was a wonderful demonstration of why we are blessed to have a sovereign Parliament. The Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch had informed the Press before telling Parliament about the decision to remove the deadline for abolishing hampering EU legislation. Coming to the House to explain, she began with an unfortunate turn of...
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Brexit Opportunities
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Dr Frank Millard

A tale of three seas

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 Three seas and two waterways comprise what is arguably the most important geopolitical hub on the planet. The Black Sea, Mediterranean and Red Sea are joined by the Bosporus and the Suez Canal as a vital trade and security crossroads connecting Europe with the MENA countries and Asia. During the Cold War the Black Sea was dominated by the War...
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Rolf Norfolk

What is the EU for?

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The EU has never quite decided on its mission statement and this has caused difficulties for itself and for us, even after our withdrawal. Its deepest roots lie in the desire to prevent a repeat of World War One. At the fateful Versailles peace conference in 1919 the French minister of commerce and industry, assisted by Jean Monnet, was seeking Eur...
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Rolf Norfolk

The Struggle for Liberty

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As we approach the Coronation we can expect much malign and ill-informed comment from people who do not understand our political system. One reason for their ignorance will be the deplatforming of speakers who could put them right, such as the redoubtable David Starkey, shunned by the woke for their misrepresentation of an impatient and infelicitou...
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Brexit democracy Brexit Opportunities Monarchy
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Michael Wood

Has Anyone the Courage to Lead?

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Since the referendum governments have squandered opportunity. We should be in a strong position, but a combination of Pro EU Tories, the Blob and the Civil Service has put democracy at risk. The daily attacks on Brexit citing idiotic opinion polls, demonstrate a determination by the opponents of democracy to take us back into the EU whatever the co...
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EU Net Zero democracy Coup Truth
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Robert Oulds

Rishi Sunak Must Rip Up EU Laws Immediately to Deliver on Brexit’s Promise

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The Bruges Group is pleased to republish this article by Barnabas Reynolds  Brussels' rules are prescriptive and controlling, and are holding back British growth The Prime Minister must restore Britain's sovereignty over our laws The Government is seeking the power to remove some of the vast swathes of EU-inherited law by the end of 2023 in it...
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EU Laws UK Sovereignty Impediment Legal Freedom
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Colin Bullen

Nothing is Done

lifeboats-6590295_1920 Wasted UK Money & Resources
In the Middle Ages, before the widespread use of gunpowder, the moat of a castle was an effective means of defence. Although the age of castles as strongholds is long gone we in this country have one trusty moat which has protected us for centuries, and I have often remarked, when contemplating history, and indeed modern threats, "Thank God for the...
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immigration Zero Protection Political Failure Resource Waste
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Philip Vander Elst

PATRIOTISM AND FREEDOM A libertarian defence of national sovereignty

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Three quarters of a century ago, when Britain was fighting for her life and the freedom of Europe, no important body of opinion would have questioned the value of patriotism or the importance of preserving and cherishing our nationhood as a focus of resistance to Nazi totalitarianism. Pride in our heritage, our sense of connection with the past and...
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democracy Freedom National Sovereignty Liberty Nationhood
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Jamie Bryson

HeatON-Harris to Deliver on Protocol - The Union is Under Threat

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The appointment of Chris-Heaton Harris as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was greeted warmly by unionists, ever hopeful that at long last we would have a Secretary of State who cared as much about protecting the rights of unionists as those of nationalists. Moreover, there was a great hope that this UK Government would break with the sy...
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Brexit Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Protocol Brexit Opportunities
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Jamie Bryson

The Northern Irish Protocol Must Go Now

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The Acts of Union is the present constitutional foundation of the United Kingdom. As the late Lord Trimble, the unionist architecture of the Belfast Agreement, said: The Acts of Union is the Union. The Northern Ireland Protocol "subjugates" (in the words of the Court of Appeal) Article VI of the Acts of Union, and therefore it follows that it subju...
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Dr Ted Malloch

Libertarians Are Not Our Friends

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In a very revealing article many years ago called "Why I am Not a Conservative," a very famous libertarian let the cat out of the bag. He loudly denounced the argument for tradition and custom by calling for a form of anything goes liberalism and atheism. Some go even further, coming close to anarchy with their complete opposition to the state and ...
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Libertarian Atheism Anarchy Morality
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Robert Oulds

We are being hoodwinked (again) by the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

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 The following analysis by Ben Habib is reprinted from: https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/ben-habib-we-are-being-hoodwinked-again-by-the-northern-ireland-protocol-bill-3750685 Ben Habib is a Newspaper Columnist and former Brexit Party MEP I am having a profound sense of déjà vu. In 2019 I said the Prime Minister's oven ready deal was a...
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Derek Bennett

KNOCKING AT THE EU’s DOOR

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 Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands first Minister, has been banging on, yet again, about holding another referendum on Scottish independence and is proposing to hold a plebiscite during October 2023. This is despite the fact she lost the so-called 'once in a lifetime' independence referendum in 2014. If the people of Scotland go mad and vote to break...
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EU Scotland Independence Sturgeon
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Sir Bill Cash MP

REPORT BY LEGAL STAR CHAMBER ON NORTHERN IRELAND PROTOCOL BILL

london-453099 Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
Sir William Cash MPRt Hon David Jones MPMartin Howe QCBarnabas Reynolds The constitutional and legal position of the United Kingdom in relation to the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland (the "Protocol") is founded on Section 38 of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 ("EUWAA 2020"). There are also pertinent issues relating to international ...
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Will Podmore

A festschrift for Anthony Coughlan: Essays on sovereignty and democracy, edited by Frank Keoghan, Ruan O’Donnell & Michael Quinn, hardback, 159 pages, ISBN 978-0-09955975-2-5, Iontas Press, 2018.

A-Coughlan A festschrift for Anthony Coughlan
Anthony Coughlan is known to most of us for his heroic work for the National Platform of Ireland, which campaigns for Ireland's independence from the EU. As Michael Quinn writes, "He has tirelessly campaigned against the centralising and unaccountable EU bureaucracy; articulating instead the alternative case for a Europe of independent and co-opera...
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EU Eurozone democracy Irexit
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Derek Bennett

BARONESS THATCHER, THE GREATEST

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The day of writing this article is the 16th May, which was the birthday of Bertram Edward Bennett (Bertie Bennett to all who knew him), who was my father. He was Born in the slums of Birmingham in 1915. As a young man and being a devoted socialist, he joined the Communist Party who promptly told him he should also join and infiltrate the Labour Par...
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Dr Frank Millard

Is globalisation defunct?

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Is there a need for a rethink of the 21st century direction of travel of globalisation, the concept of a global village, 4IR, communitarianism and supranationalism, as conceived at the end of the previous century? Vulnerabilities of scale The devastating impact of the pandemic on economics, trade, logistics and the global supply chain, plus the imp...
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Trade China economy globalisation democracy
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Dr Ted Malloch

The United States and Europe Redefined

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It is past time to re-evaluate key U.S. assumptions about Europe and the European Union.  For far too long, America and Europe have had a very one-sided relationship. It is like a codependent marriage, in which one partner sacrifices his or her own needs for those of the spouse. That person's actions will completely revolve around the other pe...
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European Union Trade Ukraine War America
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Robert Oulds

Revealed: EU did not fully stop arms sales to Russia until recently

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Toothless EU 2014 embargo on export of weapons to Russia finally enforced on 8 April 2022  Removal of loophole covered up by EU – not mentioned in latest sanctions press release In our previous report of 25 March on EU arms sales to Russia between 2014-2020 we revealed how a clause allowed weapons contracts to continue to be fulfilled if they ...
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Ukraine Russia War
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Dr Ted Malloch

Klaus Schwab’s Tower of Babel

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The European Union and Davos-style globalism is saturating the globe on all continents. It pretends to make the world a better place. It does no such thing.  The Tower of Babel was real. The structure, reaching far into the skies, was built in the land of Shinar, in ancient Babylon. It was constructed some years after the Deluge, or what is co...
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Robert Oulds

Will the EU ever say ‘thank you’ to the United Kingdom for defending its territory?

RAF deploys fighter jets and Expeditionary Air Wing personnel to EU's Romania.  Once again, Brexit Britain flies to the protection of the EU On Saturday the Ministry of Defence announced that British Typhoon jets and Royal Air Force personnel are deploying to Romania. They will operate as part of NATO's 'Air Policing mission' for the Black Sea...
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Robert Oulds

EU sanctions busted by the French again

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 While others close their Russian doors, French tills in Russia keep ringing. French companies find reasons to do business in Russia while British companies pull out Economic sanctions from Western nations were meant to send a message to President Putin: Stop the war and withdraw from Ukraine. The French are ignoring world opinion. Many busine...
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Robert Oulds

British consistency makes it No.1 for Global Soft Power since 2010

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Facts4EU.Org presents their review of the major Global Soft Power rankings in the world. Their analysis of these rankings covers every year from the first in 2010 until the latest for 2022. We reviewed the three emerging ranking systems that have over time become more and more detailed and analytical. We started with the Institute of Governmen...
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Barry Legg

UK Government in chaos as it caves to EU again

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Backs down on NI Protocol, then withdraws proposed rule changes, but wins in Appeals Court.  The Government is busy on Ukraine but what about the integrity of the UK? Despite past assurances of being willing to suspend the Northern Ireland Protocol it continues in place after the British Government revealed its true self yesterday. Firstly it ...
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Chris Davies

Warning: Economic headwinds ahead

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The impact of loose monetary policy long after the financial crash reverberations had largely ended and repeated after the worst of the pandemic (creating the worst economic contraction for 300 years) had passed, is now taking its toll on inflation and interest rates. February saw a rash of economic metrics that when consolidated alongside other re...
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Chris Davies

The House of Cards is a busted flush

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The USA is bust. Not officially of course and as Francis Underwood (I know, it was Urquhart first but humour me) would say, "You could say that; I couldn't possibly comment". With Federal Government debt in excess of $30Trillion and debt servicing alone of almost $600Bn per annum, the country is ill prepared in every conceivable way for a protracte...
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John Hoerner

Immigration and human behaviour

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I have been lucky enough to enjoy a 57-year successful career in business. I was also a board member of Business for Sterling and of Vote Leave and before coming to the UK I had some experience in USA politics. One of the things I have learned over the years is that when things are not going well, you might be working on the wrong thing! Another va...
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Ethan Thoburn

'Spartan Victory' - Interview with Mark Francois MP

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"We were the 28 MPs who saved Britain, we saved our nation and this is the inside story of how we did it." The Rt. Hon. Mark Francois MP The Bruges Group led the intellectual debate for Britain to leave the European Union and now we have the story from within, the story of the ERG from an MP who was at the heart of Brexit. 28 Members of Parliament ...
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Chris Davies

Zemmour or more of the same?

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With 5 months to go until France goes to the polls to elect their next president, the stalking horses have begun to fall, leaving behind 3 main challengers (including 2 women) to Emmanuel Macron: Marine Le Pen, Valérie Pecrésse and following unprecedented polling prior to confirming his candidacy, Éric Zemmour. Whilst all representing differen...
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Chris Davies

Go woke go broke

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As the sclerosis of wokeism spreads globally ever further and wider, let's take a whistle stop tour of some of the latest ridiculousness served up on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. US Democrats hate their own country, UK left follows The left of the American Democratic Party hates its own country. Where once it directed its ire at Donald Trump, ...
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Will Podmore

COP-out

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The UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) talked a lot about ending all reliance on fossil fuels. But this ignores the dependency of industry on hydrocarbons. Modern society's ability to feed, clothe, warm itself, and to provide security, education, health, and culture all depend on industry. Wind and solar power depend on fossil fuels, s...
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Christopher Lim

Letter to Berlaymont: Discord in the union and the European Parliament group leaders' letter

Since the European Parliament's lawsuit against Commission President von der Leyen over the Polish Court decision, the stand off between two of the three major institutions of the European Union has reached new heights, with the decisions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), not to mention the Polish border crisis, setting the agenda. In both it...
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Michael Clitherow

Forget the sermons - first read the small print

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Since before the 2016 referendum and continuing non-stop, those against GB leaving the EU including - Joe Biden and other US Democrats , most EU bureaucrats, several European politicians (particularly the French) and of course our own Re-joiners - have been pursuing the following rhetoric: "You must not go against or interfere with the 19...
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Christopher Lim

Strasbourg Calling! Is the European Parliament growing its teeth - or is it the new Shadow Commission?

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The decision by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal that the national constitution has primacy over EU law - a decision supported by the PiS government - has sent shockwaves around the EU establishment. The Tribunal decided that Articles 1 and 19 - referring to an 'ever closer union', and the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) respectively - ...
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Michael Clitherow

The Northern Ireland Protocol: Trigger Article 16!

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Where is the evidence that this ruling has saved anyone from being exposed to sub standard or dangerous products? We have heard so much from the EU Big Wigs and European politicians about how important it is to have checks on goods going from one part of the United Kingdom to another – mainland UK to Northern Ireland - it is therefore vital to...
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Ethan Thoburn

Liberty Zone at Party Conference

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At Conservative Party Conference this year, we are delighted to be hosting the 'Liberty Zone' on Monday 4th October 2021 at the Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4PF.  We are holding our annual Party Conference event this year alongside Time 4 Recovery, a group set up to pressure the government with oppositi...
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Michael Clitherow

AUKUS - Time to Raise the Periscope

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By Mike Clitherow Wow, so much coverage everywhere of the AUKUS agreement and the outrage in France. Must be the Remoaners dream to be able once again knock their own country and cry for an EU member state. "Those naughty two faced Brexit Brits " they will scream. For me an important point has been completely missed in all media coverage. So n...
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Kendall O Donnell

The AUKUS Agreement Isn’t Perfect

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On Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced a new trilateral security agreement, 'AUKUS', which has the purpose of improving collaboration in the defense sectors of the signatory countries including collaboration on artificial intelligence, cyber security, quantum technologies as well as undersea ca...
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Christopher Lim

In Conversation with John Manley OC PC - Former Deputy PM of Canada

Manley
I had the opportunity to speak to the Honorable John Manley, a long serving Cabinet Minister in the Canadian Government, having served in key posts such as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Foreign Affairs – among others. John Manley is also known for having authored the Manley Report on Afghanistan in 2007 and having been...
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William Dick

America Retreats - What Next?

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Is America's precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan just a temporary setback, or does it signal a strategic retreat, an abdication from its role as world leader? If so, it will leave a gaping void, a vacuum that others will want to step in and fill. To be a world leader a country needs not only muscle (economic, military, demographic) but also a m...
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Alex Johnson

The CCP and the Taliban - An Unlikely Friendship

China
The recent withdrawal of the U.S. and its ally forces from Afghanistan has been nothing short of being consequential. The ambiguity of Afghanistan's future has already been deemed a loss for the U.S. thanks to extensive media coverage and the Taliban's rapid conquest of the nation, despite Secretary of State Antony Blinken declaring it a successful...
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Christopher Lim

In Conversation with the Hon. Christopher Pyne

CP
Kendall O'Donnell and I, as contributors representing The Bruges Group, had the opportunity to speak to the Honorable Christopher Pyne, a long-serving former Cabinet Minister in the Australian Government, holding portfolios ranging from Education to Defence. We spoke on matters ranging from the domestic, such as Australia's Covid policy and the nat...
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King

Military-Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961

Eisenhower
My fellow Americans: Three days from now, after half a century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor. This evening I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts wit...
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James

As Midterms loom, the GOP is in good shape.

US Capitol Building The US Capitol Building in Summer 2015. Photograph by Author.
National elections are never far away in the United States, and while even the most disinterested of foreign observers is aware that Presidents are elected on a quadrennial basis, fewer may grasp the significance of the 'Midterms' - in which, every two years, one third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives must submit to the verdict...
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Kendall O Donnell

Why ‘Wolf Warrior’ Foreign Policy is the New Status Quo for Beijing

Xi
Xi Jinping's acceleration of the shift towards an increasingly jingoistic Chinese foreign policy reflects a strengthening of Xi's position in China. Throughout the past 12 months, Chinese foreign policy has changed course in an aggressive manner. China spread propaganda about Australian soldiers committing war crimes in the Middle East and lashed o...
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Christopher Lim

Interview with Ambassador Jim Gilmore

Jim-Gilmore
Kendall O'Donnell and I had the opportunity to speak to Jim Gilmore, former US Ambassador to the OSCE, Governor of Virginia, and Chairman of the Republican National Committee, among other roles. We spoke on matters international, regional, and domestic, on topics stretching from President Biden's foreign policy, European security and the EU's role ...
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Trade US UK politics Special Relationship USA US politics
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Kendall O Donnell

Why the United States Needs to Re-think Ideas Such as the Wolfowitz Doctrine When Thinking About Dealing with China

US Skyline
A new consensus: Why the United States needs to re-think ideas such as the Wolfowitz Doctrine when thinking about dealing with China  The U.S.A. is no longer in a position of primacy in the Indo-Pacific; to regain hegemony, it must alter its policies. U.S foreign policy, ever since the tenure of President Woodrow Wilson and his famous 14 point...
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US UK politics Donald Trump USA US politics
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Taylor Downs

Land of Hope and Glory

Land-of-Hope-and-Glory
How the Commonwealth of Nations Can Become the Most Innovative Bloc in the World  By Alexander Flint Mitchell MSc Dissertation for Business Innovation with EntrepreneurshipBirkbeck, University of London2020 ABSTRACT Much has been written on the three topics of the literature review of this thesis: innovation, the Commonwealth of Nations' ...
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Christopher Lim

‘The Future of the Union’, Sir Bernard Jenkin MP

Sir-Bernard-Jenkin
Panelists: Barry Legg (Chair), Lord Dodds of Duncairn, Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, James Webber Barry Legg, Chairman of the Bruges Group: Our next speaker is Bernard Jenkin. Bernard is Chairman of the House of Commons Liaison Committee, on which all select committee chairmen sit. Previously, he was Chairman of the Public Administration Select Committee,...
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Christopher Lim

The 'Build Back Better' Charter

RC
The new Atlantic Charter, signed by the Prime Minister and President Biden as a 'reaffirmation' of the Special Relationship, is a somewhat mixed bag. The Atlantic Charter of 1941 envisioned a postwar world order we're all too familiar with, from respecting national sovereignty and democracy overseas to the aim of lowering tariffs. This 'New' Atlant...
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Ethan Thoburn

"Tear Down This Wall": How Reagan Changed the World

Reagan-Berlin
Today marks 34 years since one of the most memorable and historic speeches ever made by a US President, and one that changed the course of history, it is of course when President Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and told General Secretary Gorbachev to "tear down this wall". Now as we face today's challenges, our leaders shoul...
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Margaret Thatcher US UK politics Special Relationship US politics Ronald Reagan
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Torquil Dick-Erikson

A Sad and Sorry Page for British Justice

Royal-Court
Alexander Adamescu is to be extradited from the UK to Romania, on an accusation of having, with his late father Dan Adamescu, bribed judges in Romania in 2013, in a case concerning a construction company. He asserts that the real reason is political - that his father and he controlled an opposition newspaper, Romania Libera, and Romanian Prosecutor...
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Taylor Downs

Fish, Vaccines and Wind

Wind
By Professor James Blyth The Fishing Saga The story of the UK's fishing rights scarcely needs re-telling, but it is well worth remembering. They are part of the internationally agreed economic resources of the UK, and are located primarily within the North Sea and parts of the Atlantic Ocean. They fall within the UK's exclusive economic zone (EEZ),...
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Ethan Thoburn

Why There's No Room for Politics in Sport

Billy-Vunipola-BLM
There are some things in life that should never mix, pineapple and pizza, baking soda and vinegar, but perhaps more than both of those examples is sport and politics! This last year has emphasised that more than anything, from taking the knee before every single sporting event to the supposedly controversial opinion of male athletes competing in wo...
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Will Podmore

Coughlan Hollowing Out

Irexit
The hollowing out of Irish independence: how the Irish people were made citizens of an EU Federation, by Anthony Coughlan, pamphlet, 16 pages, The National Platform, January 2021. The indefatigable Anthony Coughlan has produced another fine contribution to the debates about Brexit, Irexit and the EU. He is a lifelong campaigner for Irish independen...
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Dr Ted Malloch

von der Leyen’s Götterdämmerung

UVDL
Twilight of the Gods" was Richard Wagner's last in the cycle of music dramas called, "The Ring of Nibelung," which is based on old Norse mythology prophesying war among beings and gods that results in the burning and remaking of the world. It is always deeply dissatisfying when a negative prediction comes true—especially predictions which are meant...
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Morten Dam

Obituary: Jens-Peter Bonde (March 27th 1948 - April 4th 2021)

JPB
By Morten Dam  The long serving eurosceptic stalwart and Danish MEP from 1979 until 2008 has passed away. After a time of illness he died in Arresødal Hospice in the north of Zealand, Denmark. Jens-Peter Bonde has been an influential eurosceptic voice for over a decade. He was a founder of Danish People's Movement Against EU in 1972 and has be...
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Christopher Lim

Interview with New Zealand MP, Todd Muller: CANZUK and More

Todd-Muller
I had the opportunity to speak to Todd Muller, MP for the Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand, the Opposition National Party's Spokesperson (Shadow Minister) for Trade, Export Growth, and Internal Affairs, and the Former Leader of the Opposition. We spoke on matters international and domestic, concerning Britons, New Zealanders, and hi...
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Alex Johnson

The UK’s post-Brexit Role within the Indo-Pacific Strategy Debate

trade
The term 'Indo-Pacific' first came into practical use by the British Government in the 1960s during the height of the empire's process of decolonisation. As a strategy, it sought to conceive what the UK's position within the region would be as the country gradually withdrew its influence there. The structural constraints of the Cold War—which had m...
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Chloe Grant

Our Product Consumption Should Not Come at the Expense of Uyghurs' Freedom

Uyghur
Many of us have been saddened to learn of the atrocious inhumane treatment by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang over recent months. Although constantly denied by the CCP, evidence of genocide is undeniable. The CCP claim they are offering 're-education camps' to Uyghurs, said to offer family planning programmes and...
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Ethan Thoburn

In Conversation with Ben Habib: Brexit, Lockdown and China

Ben-Habi_20210211-002626_1
I caught up with former Brexit Party MEP, Ben Habib who now runs the pressure group 'Unlocked', campaigning for an end to lockdown and highlighting the economic and social damage of remaining in lockdown. You can watch the full conversation on YouTube, with links to the videos throughout or digest a condensed summary on each question and debate poi...
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Lee Cohen

With the Anglosphere Champion Gone from the Oval Office, We Shall Have to Lump it for Four Long Years

President-Trump
In November, Nigel Farage tweeted, "Biden hates the UK," https://twitter.com/nigel_farage/status/1325166010106851328?lang=en. That statement may have been deliberately unnuanced for effect, but it contains more than an element of truth. So too, many on this side of the Atlantic wonder if Biden, hell bent to roll back the policies of his predecessor...
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US UK politics Donald Trump Special Relationship USA US politics
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John Smith

The Deal’s Backdoor Route to Defence Entanglement

EU-defence-
The Government's deal with the EU coupled with last-minute law changes in Brussels produce a new set of legal obligations which will renew concerns about UK involvement in 'Military EU'. Why was the Brexit vote actually a reprieve for the remain campaigning establishment? Because it meant they would never have to explain the arrival of EU mili...
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John Smith

How a Legal Mystery Reveals the Continuing EU Threat to UK Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding
For years, politicians and industry associations have claimed that the UK can simply ignoring EU defence contract rules which require an international competition where the cheapest bid wins. If the rules were rigid, UK defence and shipbuilding industry would lose many UK Government contract overseas. But the rules are not rigid, they have always c...
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Serena Lit

The EU’s Vaccine Nationalism Must Not Be Tolerated in a Global Crisis

AstraZeneca
For all the grand declarations of "new beginnings for old friends", Ursula von der Leyen's most recent assault on the British people again exposed the wolf behind the wool. Despite the midnight back-track, the fact that the European Commission had believed itself justified to announce plans for a vaccine export ban, cannot be easily forgiven. Those...
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Derek Bennett

Counting the Votes

USA-election
Back in the late 1990's my then regular watering hole was closed for a full refurbishment, which was received with much dismay by the regulars as pub refurbishments always meant a complete revamp and the ruination of a favourite place to meet friends over a pint or two. During this period all the regulars set up home in the bar of a local hotel nea...
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Barry Legg

All at Sea

lorries-at-Belfast-port
By David Scullion It's been a fortnight since the Northern Ireland Protocol was introduced and yesterday in parliament the DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson secured an Urgent Question on the problems it has caused in that short time. Responding, Michael Gove (who privately hinted to Brexiteer MPs it would never be introduced) said that there had been "c...
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Barry Legg

Sturgeon's Desperate Bid to Beg von der Leyen for EU Membership

Sturgeon-and-von-der-Leyen
By Richard Percival  Nicola Sturgeon has been pestering President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen and other Brussels officials with letters and emails in a desperate attempt to get Scotland to rejoin the EU, leaked correspondence seen by Express.co.uk shows.  About 25 letters and emails released under Freedom of Infor...
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Ethan Thoburn

We Got Brexit Done!

Boris-Johnson
The Bruges Group Statement on Britain's EU Exit  https://www.brugesgroup.com/blog/statement-on-britain-s-eu-exit ERG Star Chamber Legal Analysis The full text of the Star Chamber's analysis of the trade deal https://lawyersforbritain.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ERG-Legal-Advisory-Committee-Opinion-on-EU-UK-Trade-and-Cooperation-Agreeme...
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Barry Legg

Are Brexiteer MPs Happy?

Brexiteer-MPs
By David Scullion There was expectation of a Brexit trade deal announcement on Sunday night, but then we were told the differences between the two sides were too great to bridge. Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, the EU commission President, spoke on the phone and, we're told, asked both of their negotiating teams to work out what the big dif...
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Brexit European Union Boris Johnson Trade Deals No deal
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Barry Legg

Sammy Wilson MP: UK’s Trade Deal With The EU Must Live Up To Brexit Promises

Sammy-Wilson
By The Rt. Hon. Sammy Wilson MP - DUP Member of Parliament for East Antrim  As the U.K. edges toward a final deal on its future relationship with the European Union, it is important that we ensure the agreement delivers on what was promised. Already it is clear that last year's Withdrawal Agreement was fatally flawed. It leaves Bruss...
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Rt Hon. Sir John Redwood MP

Sir John Redwood: Biden, Brexit and Lockdown 2.0

Sir-John-Redwood
Starting with the implications of the second lockdown, the former Cabinet Minister said it will be damaging for the economy though not as damaging as last time. The virus should be taken seriously – and treatments should be sought etc. – but let's get life back to normal for those free from the disease or not at much risk, he said. Sir John hopes t...
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Robert Oulds

Why Donald Trump is on the Way to Another Victory

MAGA
President Trump will win big since Republican voters are super energised and are turning out in massive numbers to vote for him, on the other hand Democrat voters are not enthused by the incompetent and senile 'Sleepy' Joe Biden. The polls that predict Biden is winning the US election so far, which is already underway, assume that there's...
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US UK politics Donald Trump Trade Deals USA US politics
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Ethan Thoburn

Why the UK Needs a Trump Victory

President-Trump-Union-Jack
As the US general election approaches, it is very much in our interests on who wins, there are some people in the Conservative Party suggesting it would be beneficial for Joe Biden to be inaugurated and to walk into the White House on 20th January, following the US general election next week. However, I think there'd be nothing worse than Mr B...
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Sean Sewell

Britain outside Europe; The need for a fundamental, multilateral based UK Indo-Pacific Policy

Britain outside Europe; The need for a fundamental, multilateral based UK Indo-Pacific Policy
By stating that the UK should prepare for a no-deal Brexit as both sides refused to compromise, the Rt Hon Michael Gove produced a shattering rebuke to Macron's hardliner posture over the negotiations. This change of tone from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster exhibits an overdue realisation that Britain must have a plan for all eventualitie...
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Sean Sewell

Independent Trade arbitration is a right, so why is the EU flouting it?

Felixstowe Felixstowe
As negotiations began the week of an EU summit on the 15th October, there was talk of the EU pressing their chief negotiator Michel Barnier to insist on tough enforcement rules for any UK trade deal. This came as a result of their shock to the Internal Market Bill, yet while any dispute resolution mechanism is normal for any trade deal, the words '...
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Sean Sewell

The UK desperately needs a breakthrough in R&D, but Europe isn’t the catalyst for change

UkK R&D UK R&D
Perpetual doom and gloom for British science as a result of uncertainty with our relationship with Europe is the mood in the FT this week. The paper recently reported that research and development (R&D) collaboration by British businesses under the EU's research grant scheme has halved since 2016. But contrary to the FT's personal Project Fear ...
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Sean Sewell

The EU’s hypocrisy over the Internal Markets bill is clear, but shouldn’t come as a surprise

wIf the past few weeks have shown us anything it is that if the EU still sees itself as a peace project, then its view of itself is as misguided as it's regard for international law. As threats from the Commission, mainly Maros Sefcovic, to look at 'all legal options' against the Internal Market bill grew, you can easily pass over the fact that the...
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Sean Sewell

The EU’s unlevel playing field; why Britain must re-secure the right to support it’s industries

The EU’s unlevel playing field; why Britain must re-secure the right to support it’s industries David Frost and Michel Barnier
The Covid-19 crisis has brought to light a fundamental flaw within the European Union – there is one rule for Germany's state aid regime and another for the UK's. As such there is a fundamental need in negotiations this week to redress this flaw. Data shows that Germany made up for nearly 10% of all EU-authorised State Aid requests from April ...
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Sean Sewell

A taste of the real world; Macron has confused intimidation with the reality of no deal

Lorries in Dover
Over the past week there have been announcements from Michael Gove regarding the provisions for international lorries leaving the UK after December 31st, something which apparently Macron's government sees as abhorrent. The labelling of these announcements as 'intimidation' by Clément Beaune, Macron's Europe Minister, further shows the EU's hypocri...
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Jonathan Buckley

DUP MLA: Joe Biden's Unwelcome Intervention in Northern Irish Politics

Sleepy-Joe
When you examine the history of America you find two waves of migration from Ireland. The first, the Scotch-Irish, were to the vanguard of creating and establishing schools, universities, banks and the United States of America itself (11 of the 45 US Presidents derive direct descent from). The second wave, a century later, of Irish emigration built...
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US UK politics Donald Trump USA Joe Biden US politics
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Christopher Lim

The Forgotten People: What This Government Can Learn From Robert Menzies

Robert-Menzies-Winston-Churchill
Conservatism has changed face, meaning, and context in every stage of its evolution in British public life. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has taken steps to solidify the party as a party of government, a far cry from its divisions over Europe just under a year ago. However, in the midst of a clearly different political env...
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Scarlett Spencer

Political Tactics

Churchill-and-Boris
Boris Johnson: a Churchillian moment France political commentators have for months patiently waited for Boris Johnson to renegade on his promise to the electorate. They have sought to help him pretend that we have left the EU whilst keeping close ties with the superstructure. The European Union has sought to manipulate our exit from the get-go and ...
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Ethan Thoburn

The Alternative to Tax Rises - A Recovery Plan for Britain

Boris-and-Rishi
As reported in The Sunday Telegraph last week, and again today, some Treasury officials have been flirting with the idea of tax increases to foot the bill for the COVID measures put in place and for the lockdown that the left and media were so desperately pressuring for. However, according to several media sources, Number 10, Boris Johnson and Domi...
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Serena Lit

Britain Should Welcome Refugees, Not Migrants From France

Migrant-crisis
It is a quintessential British bonding experience to enjoy a joke at the expense of the French. In many ways, it has become an entrenched part of our national identity. However, even the truly gallophobic among us couldn't possibly believe that those who leave France for the United Kingdom should be classed as refugees. Refugees are displaced peopl...
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Torquil Dick-Erikson

Possible Threats to the UK’s National Security and to the Security of Every UK Inhabitant From a “Security Treaty” with the EU

NSC
Here are some facts that we believe need to be brought to the attention of the ISC: How many in government, at any level, are aware that the European Court of Human Rights declared that up to 5 years in prison awaiting, not just trial, but a prisoner's first appearance in a public hearing in open court, is perfectly legitimate, and a "reasonable ti...
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Christopher Lim

Canada’s New Tory Leader Spells Good Things For CANZUK

Erin-OToole
The election of Erin O'Toole as the Canadian Tories' new leader demonstrates that value-based politics and value-based trading partnerships are truly possible. Erin O'Toole, previously his party's Shadow Foreign Minister, was one of the most vocal advocates in favour of a CANZUK (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom) alliance and ...
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Christopher Lim

The Democratic Swampfest

Joe-Biden
The Democratic Party's virtual convention should've been an attempt to unify the party. From moderates to progressives, I almost took it for granted that they would do everything to convince those on the left that Joe Biden was truly their candidate. However, apart from a few references to Medicare, evictions, and 'understanding', they have disappo...
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Donald Trump USA Joe Biden Democrats US politics
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Christopher Lim

‘Soldiers of Destiny’ No More? Ireland’s Role in an Ever Centralising EU

Micheal-Marti_20200821-173545_1
"Sinne Fianna Fáil, Atá faoi gheall ag Eirinn" are the first two stanzas of Amhrán na bhFiann, Ireland's national anthem, and translates to "Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland". This is the essence of how Fianna Fail, the major party in Ireland's governing coalition, led by Taoiseach (PM) Micheal Martin, sees itself: as the purveyo...
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Christopher Lim

Kiwis and CANZUK: A Bridge Too Far No More?

Adern-and-Collins-NZ
For over 40 years, New Zealand has been keen to engage, but Britain ignored their pleas. Finally, New Zealand can not only engage, but also be part of a bigger alliance – the CANZUK alliance. CANZUK is a largely economic alliance between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK based on the principles of free trade and possibly free-er movement. ...
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Brexit Conservative Party Trade Trade Deals CANZUK
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Barry Legg

Giving up Control

Giving-up-Control
First published in The Critic by David Scullion https://thecritic.co.uk/no-escape-for-britain-brexit/ After concluding the latest round of Brexit talks, the UK's chief negotiator David Frost said, 'considerable gaps remain in the most difficult areas' and that on the sticking point of fisheries the EU has failed to understand that the UK position a...
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Brexit Boris Johnson Trade Deals Backstop The Critic Magazine
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Jude D Alesio

The EU’s Pandemic Recovery Fund is a Leap Towards Ever Closer Union

Von-der-Leyen-elbow-pump
Marathon talks have concluded between EU leaders as they battled over the details of its multibillion-euro pandemic recovery fund. With France and Germany head-to-head against the frugal four of Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden over grants, veto rights and funding criteria, you could be mistaken for seeing the talks as the break-up of t...
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Christopher Lim

The Complicated Politics of CANZUK in Canada

CANZUK
In the aftermath of the British exit from the EU, the concept of CANZUK, a largely economic alliance between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, all of which have the monarchy, the same common law systems, and parliamentary democracy, among others. However, the question remains, what has stopped these four countries, throughout ...
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Trade Trade Deals CANZUK Liz Truss Canada
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Will Podmore

Deal or No Deal

Noel-Edmunds
Brexit may have gone quiet lately in the mainstream media, but between now and the end of October will be critical. Remain have been defeated in trying to keep us in the EU, their plans for a 'People's Vote' have been defeated, and their attempts to extend the transition period have been defeated. Their last hope is that between now and October our...
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James

Don't write off Donald Trump just yet.

Trump-Swearing-In---Public-Domai_20200718-142602_1 Donald Trump is sworn in as President of the United States, 20th January 2017. Photograph: Public Domain.
In July 1988, a Gallup poll brought grim news for the campaign of George H.W. Bush. Conducted on 21st and 22nd of the same month, the survey found that the then Vice-President was trailing his Democratic challenger, Michael Dukakis, by 17 points - 38-55. Even worse for the Bush camp, it was far from the only poll that year which indicated that the ...
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James

Poland is Not Yet Lost.

Trump and Duda in Warsaw Andrzej Duda and Donald Trump in Warsaw. Photograph: Kancelaria Prezydenta RP - Krzysztof Sitkowski (Free Use)
Shortly after the results of the second round of the Polish Presidential Election were confirmed by the National Electoral Commission, a Polish Pilgrim journeyed to the Jasna Góra Monastery in the southern Polish province of Silesia; home to the shrine of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. Since the Middle Ages, the Monastery has been a destination ...
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