EU – Page 38 – Slugger O'Toole

German Police Formally Arrest Extradited Suspect in 1996 Provisional IRA Mortar Attack

Pete Baker on December 17, 2016, 4:57 pm

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Rather less widely reported than developments in certain other legacy cases was Dublin High Court recent ordering of the extradition of a suspect in the Provisional IRA mortar attack on a British army barracks near Osnabrück, Germany, in June 1996. James Anthony Oliver Albert Corry, from north Belfast, was arrested in Killorglin, Co Kerry, in October 2015, on foot of a European Arrest Warrant issued by German authorities. The Belfast Telegraph has the latest update via a PA report German police have arrested a …

UK exports have boomed since the Brexit referendum, but mostly to the EU

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on December 15, 2016, 9:18 am

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In the immediate aftermath of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union on the 23rd of June 2016, the pound fell sharply against other major currencies. At the time of writing, £1 will buy €1.19 or 1.25 US dollars, down 8.5% and 14.7% respectively $1.47 and €1.30 on the eve of the referendum. It has been claimed by various sources that a fall in the pound, whilst obviously bad news for importers and holidaymakers, will prove a …

FT recommends staying in the customs union to help solve the Irish problem

Brian Walker on December 14, 2016, 8:34 am

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Irish Finance minister Michael Noonan was too hasty in slapping down “a special deal on the side ” between the UK and Ireland in response to the report on Ireland and Brexit from the Lords EU committee. He spoke even as it was admitted that Ireland would probably be worse affected than Britain. This is no time to reject any well-intentioned idea for resolving what is probably the single most difficult problem of Brexit. The committee was also right to …

Winter is coming, so is Brexit

Neale Richmond on December 13, 2016, 8:00 am

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In a previous life, I served for two years as a member of the EU’s Committee of the Regions, a small EU institution that looks at European legislation from the point of view of local and regional government. As a member of Fine Gael, I sat on this body in the European People’s Party (EPP), similar to Fine Gael’s MEPs in the European Parliament. A centre right grouping born out of the old Christian Democrats, the EPP is relatively unique …

Does GDP Measure What Matters? Prof Diane Coyle delivers Donal Nevin lecture

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on December 12, 2016, 10:54 pm

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MEASURE WHAT MATTERS. Is GDP fit for purpose asked Professor Diane Coyle who was in Belfast to deliver the annual Donal Nevin Lecture at an event organised by the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).

Brexit requires a special deal for Ireland say the Lords, and the Executive cannot stay aloof. That means you, Arlene

Brian Walker on December 12, 2016, 3:51 pm

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In the first of six reports on Brexit the House of Lords committee on the EU recommend that the British and Irish governments should negotiate a new bilateral agreement to minimise the impact of Brexit on British-Irish and North-South relations. This will be welcomed as the first serious attempt by British legislators to cut through the thicket of thorny problems particular to both parts of Ireland. As the Guardian reports, the Lords EU Committee “touches lightly” on the Good Friday agreement. It …

“our modern, liberal democracies are probably not under any catastrophic threat – at least not yet”

Cathal McManus on December 12, 2016, 10:42 am

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2016 will doubtless be remembered for the political earthquakes of Brexit and Trump. These somewhat unexpected victories have generated significant levels of debate fuelled by the high levels of uncertainty each has created. These uncertainties stem, in part, from the nature of both political campaigns which were mired by numerous allegations of racism, chauvinism, and xenophobia. The victories come at a time when radical-right parties are experiencing a period of resurgence across Europe that may lead to significant political breakthroughs in France, …

While the Supreme Court continues the agenda moves on. A hard Brexit looks more and more likely and the future of the Irish border is in the balance.

Brian Walker on December 8, 2016, 11:31 am

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The Financial Times (£) says it all in the editorial quoted at some length below – or most of it. If Theresa May had introduced a simple bill granting MPs a vote on Article 50, the November High Court case and the appeal to the Supreme Court would not have happened. What it doesn’t say is that the UK government look like triggering Article 50 before the end of March to leave the single market and the customs union. They …

The gap between politics and the law is further exposed. But ruling on the clash between the Scots and Irish nationalists with the UK government will be the more momentous decision for the Supreme Court.

Brian Walker on December 7, 2016, 5:24 pm

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Brian WalkerFormer BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London

What next after Merkel?

Neale Richmond on December 6, 2016, 8:39 pm

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So far this year, we have seen both David Cameron and Matteo Renzi resign as Prime Ministers of the UK and Italy after perusing disastrous ego driven referenda. In France, François Hollande’s popularity has reached a new low and he won’t seek a second term. The last remaining major leader in the EU is longstanding German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; she has declared in recent weeks that she will indeed seek a fourth term in office and lead her centre right …

NI Attorney General: “Article 50 trigger – will ‘amend not a comma or a full stop of the 1998 Act’.”

Pete Baker on December 6, 2016, 3:24 pm

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As with the Belfast High Court, so with the UK Supreme Court… NI Attorney General John Larkin has been repeating the argument. From the BBC text coverage from the Supreme Court Northern Ireland’s attorney general, John Larkin, is continuing to make his case that none of the legislative or constitutional arrangements underpinning devolution should stand in the way of the UK government triggering Article 50. The 1998 Northern Ireland Act, which set up the NI Assembly and NI executive, made …

“Return to your cumanns and prepare for Irish unification.”

Pete Baker on December 5, 2016, 3:49 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph, Eilis O’Hanlon comments on the recent flurry of “displacement activity” from Sinn Féin. From the Belfast Telegraph article So, what better way to distract the republican home crowd than with some conjurer’s cheap tricks? Don’t look at that hand, look at this one. Don’t mention my ineffectiveness on a range of issues that actually matter, look at all these things I’m saying and doing about something that doesn’t matter in the slightest. It’s not as if …

Goldsmith’s Gamble Fails

Blagger on December 2, 2016, 2:18 pm

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A penny for Zac Goldsmith’s thoughts today! The now former MP for Richmond Park in Southwest London, resigned from his seat and from the Conservative Party to force a by-election in the constituency, to show his opposition to the Government’s plan to expand Heathrow. In the by-election held yesterday, Goldsmith was beaten by Lib Dem Sarah Olney, who overturned the former MP’s 23000-seat majority to win by nearly 2000 votes. Neither the Conservative Party nor UKIP stood a candidate in the …

Sinn Fein’s attempts to confront the chaos of Brexit are still too hung up on the dubious appeal of constitutional change

Brian Walker on December 2, 2016, 12:27 pm

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Two cheers for Sinn Fein for at least having a go where others fear to tread, in exposing their ideas in progress to the deep uncertainties of Brexit. In this document, if responding to the confusion of Brexit were not enough, the party is delivering a mixed revisionist message that is caught between its roots and its avowed direction of travel. To start with, the basic premise of the paper in the foreword is debatable. It is indeed hard to …

Where now for Scotland?

Neale Richmond on December 2, 2016, 12:14 pm

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In an historic and stirring address to Seanad Éireann this week, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon refused to set out a timeline for when she might ask the Scottish people to vote once again on Independence. She repeated her view that the Scottish people had not voted to stay within a United Kingdon outside of the European Union and that the Scottish people’s decision to overwhelming vote in favour of remaining in the EU could not be ignored. Immediately after …

Martina Anderson joins the European Parliament’s #Brexit monitoring team…

Mick Fealty on December 1, 2016, 10:02 am

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Along with a Catalan separatist MEP, according to the Glasgow Herald… Mr Terricabras – who represents the SNP’s main Catalan allies Republicana Esquerra in the parliament – made clear his support for a deal with Scotland. He said: “To me it seems extraordinarily important for Catalans to see the possibilities that there are for an agreement with Scotland, for Scotland to have a new relationship with Europe.” Never waste a crisis. Except, the French, have confirmed there are no negotiations with …

EU Special Status, and ignoring the Northern Ireland Assembly…

Pete Baker on November 28, 2016, 5:13 pm

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As Mick noted this morning, Micheal Martin has joined the list of party leaders calling on the Irish and British Governments to negotiate for EU special status for Northern Ireland post-Brexit. At the recent All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit, there was the Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said in his speech that the Government needed to uphold the wishes of the Northern Ireland people and secure a special status for the region. “The overriding and principle …

“UK policy is towards a more unilateral approach which carries with it many dangers…”

Mick Fealty on November 28, 2016, 7:41 am

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Interesting speech by Micheal Martin at Queens at the end of last week. Certainly an attempt at providing a grounded analysis, by a senior Irish political leader speaking in a U.K. University which even in the best case scenario is unlikely to do well out of any putative Brexit deal. First, a well aimed dig at ‘Perfidious Albion’ for breaking with the EU: It is simply impossible to look at the referendum debate and the arguments used to promote Leave …

Russia’s increasing influence

Neale Richmond on November 22, 2016, 7:30 am

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A regular attack launched at Donald Trump in the recent US Presidential election campaign was his worryingly warm attitude to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, more serious was accusations of Russian hacking and complicity in various scandals through the campaign. At the beginning of this year, it was reported that American intelligence agencies were conducting an investigation into how the Kremlin is influencing politics across Europe. There are major fears in US intelligence that the Russians are determined to exploit European disunity …

“Negotiating Brexit is not like selling a second hand car with a dodgy secret under its bonnet…”

Mick Fealty on November 17, 2016, 12:04 pm

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Most comments on Brexit (and Trump for that matter) are beside the point until Mrs May gets to the end of her internal negotiations with her party and President Trump takes up the reigns of power. What surrogates (new US media word for shills) for him say or not is as yet beside the point. First, this from Flip Chart Rick… …the time to put up a fight on the terms of Brexit is now. If MPs want to shape …