Britain is hurting. Who will fix Brexit?
It takes courage to revisit political mistakes but it’s easier for leaders to turn a blind eye, writes Geoff Kitney. If there was a moment that summed up the weird politics of…
European Union
Brexit: when rhetoric finally faced facts
Trade experts warned from the outset that Boris Johnson was putting his ambition ahead of the reality of Britain’s ability to negotiate deals, writes Geoff Kitney. When Boris Johnson set out to…
Why is no-one talking about the high cost of Brexit?
Leaving the single market and customs union is believed to have reduced UK trade in goods to the EU by £14 billion a month, writes Murray Ritchie. While the United Kingdom slithers…
Political will is in short supply
Brexit is causing a curious stasis in UK politics in the four constituent nations. It is as though no-one really knows what to do next, writes Murray Ritchie. 2022 looks like being…
British brinkmanship is not what it once was
The Government’s “Up yours Delors” bravado could cost the United Kingdom dearly, writes Geoff Kitney. All that glitters is not necessarily gold. UK Trade Minister Liz Truss might have been well advised…
Fear of China is at the heart of AUKUS
The new alliance is troubling political, military and strategic analysts who are concerned that it was put together at lightning speed with little consultation and in secret, writes Geoff Kitney from Canberra….
FTA’s are not always about trade
The UK and Australia may have signed a free trade agreement but how deep does the idea of shared interests run? Geoff Kitney takes a look. All sorts of spin have been…
Indyref2 and the independence naysayers
Nostalgia and unconvincing economic arguments will not be enough to stop Scotland gravitating back to Europe, writes Murray Ritchie. Could an independent Scotland fill the United Kingdom’s vacated place in the European…
Battle against pandemic becomes a war of words
Lies. Half-truths. ‘Facts’. Or just answers that offer political wriggle room? “When the truth offends, we lie and lie, until we can no longer remember it is ever there. But it is…
Politics trumps pragmatism in Brexit deal
It is not the end of Brexit, but with the newly expressed amity and partnership between the two parties, it may be the end of the beginning, writes John Egan It is…