Political and economic commentators are somewhat perplexed by the enthusiasm of Nissan management for the commitment to competitiveness, the assurances, the industrial strategy and the support for innovation, which they have found in the Brexit plans of the May government. So enthusiastic are they, that they plan to build not one new model in Sunderland, […]
This blog, as readers know, is no fan of Tony Blair, or of his political child New Labour. Both are subject to unrelenting criticism in my Dissertation Turn Left For Power. Indeed whenever he intervenes in UK politics, usually with some anti- Corbyn rant, this blog rushes to slap his argument down. But today he […]
Taken from a rational economic perspective, the picture of this additional runway for Heathrow looks sharp and sensible and is widely supported by business as the right choice. If it ended there we could be confident that the project will proceed. It does not end there. It starts there, so where does it end? The odds […]
Whichever way you look, problems are piling up over Brexit. This is because the Brexit which everyone was promised is a fantasy. Even if a soft Brexit were pushed through the EU council of ministers, the chances of an absolute majority in the EU parliament backing it are slim and as we now see from the Canada […]
This result is very significant. It is way off the national opinion polls with not just a big drop in the Tory share of the vote but a big advance for the Lib Dems. This will play heavily into politics at Westminster, because the Lib Dems are the only party which is actively campaigning to […]
There are reports that May’s ministers, in conversations with EU officials, reveal a surprising lack of knowledge of the details of how the EU actually works. This would explain the complete paralysis apparently gripping the government about how to proceed with Brexit, because their Brexiteers had literally no idea what was involved. It is established that […]
No. Not yet. He remains in the fight, a loose cannon firing off in all directions, none of which is a traditional aiming point. He is certainly bloodied, but he is not broken. The polls have slipped, but they have not crashed. Many of his supporters are young women who should be running miles from The Groper, […]
The SNP is back on the agenda with early preparation for another independence referendum. Most polls show there is still a majority for staying in the union with the UK, in spite of the Brexit vote, but hard Brexit could change that. Only a movement on average of three percentage points would be needed. To keep […]
If you are going to negotiate a deal, you are a fool if you do not carefully consider what the other side needs to get out of it. Me first negotiations take on the format of threats and work only if you have the power to threaten. So a look now at where the EU […]
There has never been a presidential contest in which one candidate was in as much trouble as Trump. Yet two new polls put Trump 2 points ahead nationally (Rasmussen) and tied (L A Times). It is now clear that the voters, perhaps the majority, are determined to kick the establishment very hard and the conventional unsuitability […]