The Times (December 9)
“This week, parliament’s Brexit drama reaches its climax, resulting perhaps in a nation set on a course that no one seems to think is in the national interest, or the collapse of a government, or the fall of a prime minister. Barring a last-minute miracle, Theresa May has lost her final battle. Her big push has failed.”
Tags: Brexit, Climax, Collapse, Failed, Government, May, National interest, Parliament, Prime minister
The Independent (April 14)
“This is a democratic outrage. If parliament–certainly reflecting public opinion on this occasion–would not support air strikes, then British forces should not have taken part in them, no matter how compelling the arguments may seem to the prime minister. We respect the view that the use of chemical weapons should be punished, but the democratic principle must come first.”
Tags: Air strikes, Arguments, Chemical weapons, Compelling, Democratic, Outrage, Parliament, Public opinion, Support, UK
New York Times (December 4)
“No sooner had Britons found some sorely needed trans-Atlantic cheer in the engagement of their prince charming to an American actress than President Trump dashed it all with his baffling retweet of vile anti-Muslim propaganda from a British neo-fascist group.” Britain reacted to this “slap in the face…with rare all-but-unanimous fury, with members of Parliament denouncing the president as stupid, racist and even fascist.”
Tags: Actress, Anti-Muslim propaganda, Atlantic, Baffling, Engagement, Fascist, Fury, Parliament, Prince, Racist, Retweet, Stupid, Trump, UK, Vile
The Economist (April 22)
In the UK, everything “changes with the news of an election” this June. “With a proper mandate and some clout in Parliament, the prime minister would have the chance to shake off the ‘Theresa Maybe’ nickname that we gave her earlier this year.” Meanwhile, “businesses, lobby groups and, of course, private citizens have a chance to make the case for a soft Brexit both during the campaign and after it…. The battle over Brexit was fought last summer. The battle to define what form it should take is far from over.”
The Guardian (November 6)
“Everyone needs to calm down. The anger against the judges would be justified if they had declared the EU referendum invalid and banned Brexit. They did no such thing. They simply confirmed that parliament should have its proper place in the Brexit process. Of course it should.”
Tags: Anger, Brexit, EU referendum, Judges, Parliament, Process, UK
The Economist (November 5)
“It is rare for a court judgment to cause turmoil in the foreign-currency markets. Yet the pound soared on the morning of November 3rd after the High Court in London ruled that only Parliament has the authority to trigger Article 50 of the European Union treaty, the legal route for Britain to leave the EU.” The decision ignited market hopes “that Parliament might choose to block Brexit altogether or, perhaps more plausibly, that it will attach conditions,” increasing the likelihood of a “soft” Brexit.
Tags: Article 50, Brexit, Court, EU, Foreign currency, Judgment, Markets, Parliament, Pound
Time (October 26)
“The approval of Heathrow’s extension risks being not a symbol of Britain’s openness to global investment, but a reminder that the country is frequently hamstrung by turgid, centralized bureaucracy, deficient planning laws that act as a brake on growth, and a thornily complicated legal system that can bind up investors in court for decades.” Though the British Government approved expansion of Heathrow Airport, this is just the beginning of the process, which still requires a vote of Parliament next year and subsequent approvals from various governmental bodies. The earliest construction start for the new runway is 2021, with most experts agreeing 2030 is realistic for completion. Some, however, “think it may never be built, that the roadblocks in its way are insurmountable.”
Tags: Approval, Bureaucracy, Extension, Growth, Hamstrung, Heathrow, Investment, Openness, Parliament, Planning laws, UK
The Economist (October 22)
“Twentieth-century trade deals slashed tariffs. Newer ones between rich countries, such as CETA, focus on cutting other barriers to trade.” It took seven years to hammer out the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a trade deal that would eliminate duplicative safety checks, as well as about 99% of customs duties between the Canada and the EU. But gaining final approval of any trade deal is increasingly difficult. Last week, the regional parliament of Wallonia blocked the deal, which was estimated to “make Europe €5.8 billion a year richer.”
Tags: Barriers, Canada, CETA, Customs, Duplicative, Duties, Europe, Parliament, Safety checks, Tariffs, Trade deals, Wallonia
Bloomberg (March 25)
There are lots of questions for the Bank of Japan about its negative rate strategy, which “has caused bond yields to fall below zero, money market funds to stop accepting money, and lawmakers to summon Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda to parliament a record number of times to explain it.”
Tags: BOJ, Bond yields, Kuroda, Lawmakers, MMF, Negative rates, Parliament, Strategy
New York Times (February 23)
“The heavy parliamentary weapon France’s Socialist government deployed to ram an economic reform bill through opposition in its own ranks might seem excessive for a measure that basically lets some stores stay open on some Sundays.” This raises the question of how President François Hollande will proceed when the “far tougher package of tax breaks, easing of labor laws and other reforms is due later this year.”
Tags: Economic reform, France, Hollande, Labor laws, Parliament, Socialist government, Stores, Sundays, Tax breaks
