Letters to the editor January 24, 2013 No renegotiation [Re: Cameron’s decision to call a referendum is absolutely right, yesterday] There is no guarantee of any referendum, even in the event that David Cameron is re-elected. Francois Hollande is adamant that powers stay at EU level, and he is backed by legal precedent. EU institutions, like the European Council, are also legally bound [...]
Conservative unity on Europe will break open deep Labour fractures January 23, 2013 DAVID Cameron’s Europe speech united the Conservative party. But it also created two enormous challenges: one for Cameron himself and one for Ed Miliband. In 2009, with the Lisbon Treaty ratified, Cameron and William Hague decided it would be absurd to have a retrospective referendum. They announced a new policy, including a sovereignty bill, a [...]
European Union anxieties don’t demolish the case for a level playing field January 23, 2013 WE’RE doing the Euro hokey cokey: in, out, in out, shake it all about. We were out, we’re now in, we might be out again, but in the meantime we are certainly shaking it about. Indeed, the reaction from other governments is that the UK is shaking things up far too much. Like everyone under [...]
One-size-fits-all isn’t the route to rigorous A-Levels January 23, 2013 THE announcement by Michael Gove that the government is planning to reform A-Levels in England will be broadly welcomed. Many syllabuses and exams are completely inadequate. They do not provide the preparation for university that the brightest students deserve, and are justifiably criticised by employers for lack of rigour. It’s also right for the government [...]
Will other EU countries block any attempt by the UK to renegotiate its membership? January 23, 2013 YES John Springford David Cameron seems to have made it his mission to frustrate other EU countries. This means his plea for renegotiation will be (largely) rebuffed. What has Cameron done to upset the others? First, he took the Conservatives out of the centre-right group in the European Parliament. Then he threatened to veto the Eurozone’s [...]
Letters to the editor January 23, 2013 EU negotiation [Re: Cameron’s EU balancing act makes treaty renegotiation unavoidable, yesterday] This article overwhelms with its lack of ambition. It argues that EU partners will let us reform the terms of our membership, but only if we stick to those reforms they already agree with. What of the membership requirements they want to keep or [...]
Cameron’s EU balancing act makes treaty renegotiation unavoidable January 22, 2013 IT’S months later than planned, but David Cameron will finally deliver his much-anticipated speech on Europe today. We first expected him to speak last autumn. Then an unfortunate clash with the anniversary of the Élysée Treaty prompted a rethink. And crisis in Algeria forced another postponement. But Cameron’s “speech to end all Europe speeches” is [...]
Justification for tax evasion crackdown has worrying shades of Brown January 22, 2013 KEIR Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, has vowed to “ramp up” the number of prosecutions against tax evasion five-fold in two years. He plans to target middle-class earners, citing as examples “lawyers, tax consultants and plumbers” – an intriguing perspective on the British class system. Or perhaps we are all middle-class now. It is, [...]
Crack down on the high cost of living or growth suffers January 22, 2013 THE emergence of competitive economies in the East is a well-known phenomenon. But less understood is the challenge this poses to the West. First, the rising East will squeeze traditional markets (albeit while creating new ones). Secondly, it will turn the terms of trade for primary products against us. We are not powerless, however. Emerging [...]
As global leaders descend on Davos, is the World Economic Forum just a talking shop? January 22, 2013 YES Louise Cooper “To improve the state of the world” is a great objective for a conference. But such lofty ideals fall short of the shmoozefest that is Davos. For the optimists, this year’s title should bring a cold shower of reality – Resilient Dynamism. I had to turn to the dictionary for help. Davos [...]