European

Vivienne Stern, director of the international arm of Universities UK (UUK), the vice-chancellors’ body, describes the prime minister’s statement as “very encouraging” but says: “It was not clear whether the PM was talking about us continuing to participate in this programme, or whether we would seek association to the next programme starting in January 2021. And then, of course, it is going to be a subject for negotiation.” … [Read more...] about ‘Too much risk’: why Erasmus students are shunning Brexit Britain

Businesses were not overly reassured: the Institute of Directors warned it needed time to prepare for a new relationship with the EU by December, and demanded the government urgently publish its objectives for the next stage of the talks. (the Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, later said this would happen by early February.) … [Read more...] about Brexit weekly briefing: Boris Johnson’s ‘fantastic moment’ arrives

Merkel thanks NATO soldiers: The chancellor also visited German troops at their barracks in the Lithuanian town of Rukla on Friday. "We are proud that you are here," Merkel told the Bundeswehr soldiers for their role in strengthening the North Atlantic Alliance's (NATO) eastern flank. Some 450 German soldiers lead a multinational task force in the Baltics. … [Read more...] about Angela Merkel rules out lifting EU Russia sanctions

Unprecedented doesn’t mean impossible, never say die: despair after the great 1992 election shock left many reading Labour’s funeral rites. Yet that same year Black Wednesday struck the Tories down as the UK fell out of the European exchange rate mechanism, and within no time, John Smith, then Tony Blair, applied the defibrillators that jump-started Labour back to life. But the task now is of another order: like climbing Everest backwards, blindfolded and without oxygen. … [Read more...] about Though Labour is split, unity may now be easier than it looks

HAVING drastically changed policies and campaign methods, Labour now needs to reform the electoral system. Under the first past-the-post system, Labour has won only eight times and six of these (1924, 1929, 1950, 1964 and February and October 1974) produced either short-lived minority governments or majorities insufficient to last for a full parliament. Remarkably, this fate has never overtaken the Conservatives this century. It can now be seen that the electoral system has been a boon to the Conservatives and a disaster for Labour. The party could hardly have done worse under another system. The election has failed to reverse the regional divide. The weakness of Labour in the south, apart from London, and the decline of the Conservatives in the north and the cities has been reinforced. No party now is representative of the nation. This is a long-term trend, dating back to 1955. Although parties in other European countries have regional strongholds, proportional representation, … [Read more...] about The Fourth Term: Blasts from Labour’s past