Brexiteers' Project Pollyanna and hypocrisy

I refer to Vince Cable's exposure of the  blithe and ignorant optimism of Brexiteers that all trade deals with the EU would simply be rolled over on Brexit day. In fact, only six have been agreed. I would draw attention to the fact that high on the agenda for Liam Fox to seek arrangements with is the name of Turkey, that same Turkey that Leave.EU warned us against if we stayed in the EU. There is a strong case for the Commission and the Council of Ministers to look again at the customs union with Turkey, signed up to when she was a functioning democracy. Yet Dr Fox wants to replicate this arrangement with a country which has become as democratic as Venezuela.

Jammu and Kashmir

Last Wednesday, there was an Urgent Question on the subject of the emergency involving the nuclear powers of India and Pakistan. Once again, a parliamentary session on the Kashmiri dispute had to wait until the last minutes for a mention of the Commonwealth.

One can understand HM government's unwillingness to appear to dictate a solution, or to favour one side or the other, given our history as the imperial power. However, there are other Commonwealth nations who can be objective and act in good faith in helping to resolve the situation.

There are no words to describe the criminal cynicism of the allegedly Pakistan-based terrorist group behind the suicide bombing which killed 40 Indian paramilitaries. They would have known about the imminent Indian general election in which the ultra-nationalist Mahendra Modi seeks to hold on to his premiership. Clearly they calculated that the Indian government would over-react in the heated election atmosphere. Gratifyingly, both Pakistan and Indian leaders have pulled back from the brink and one hopes that the calmer atmosphere will prevail.

Andre Previn

I recommend https://www.overgrownpath.com/ for insightful responses to the sad news of maestro Previn's death. (One of the posts comprises a cracking story about Previn, Shostakovich and cold war suspicion.)

I am old enough to remember Andre Previn as a jazz pianist. In fact, I believe his first impression on me may have been his recording of his own "Like Young" (the title is a dead give-away to its era) of which there a few YouTube entries. It was something of a surprise to learn that he was to become the conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. It was gratifying to find out that he had long loved Vaughan Williams and that he so enjoyed music-making (and communicating this to a wider audience) in Britain.

Today in History

Feb 28  1854, Around 50 people meet in a school house in Ripon,
Wisconsin.  As opponents to slavery, they decide to create their own
political party that later would become the Republican Party.

Who is this "we" that Mrs May is talking about?

In the Commons yesterday, as part of her statement on the withdrawal agreement, the prime minister said:

Parliament gave the choice to the people. In doing so, we told them that we would honour their decision. 

The Referendum Act did not give power to the people. Referendums in this country have traditionally been  advisory, not binding, and the 2016 vote was no exception. (Indeed, as a fellow-Remainer has pointed out, if it had been made binding the Electoral Commission could have negated it because of the massive breaches of electoral law on the part of the various Leave campaigns, not to mention a few alleged infringements by Remain supporters.) It was Mrs May's predecessor, a man about whom dispute rages as to whether he was the worst prime minister ever or merely the worst since Anthony Eden, who virtually confessed that he had no policy of his own other than to be re-elected, that man Cameron who pledged to abide by the result of a vote in which those who had the most to lose were not allowed to take part.

Lies about the Lisbon Treaty

There is a thorough debunking of an anti-EU screed which has been going the rounds on Facebook (and presumably Twitter). The trouble with these things is that they contain just enough plausible content (especially if social media recipients are exposed to the Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph) to make the rest easier to swallow.

It would be unnecessary duplication to reproduce the whole of anotherangryvoice's refutation (not a mere rebuttal) but I would like to add a positive note to a couple of items:

7. No trade deals (absurdity)

The threat that the Lisbon Treaty somehow rules out Britain's future ability to make trade deals is absolutely absurd because this isn't some future threat, it's the actual current state of affairs.

The EU Single Market is the single largest trading block on the planet which gives it enormous power to craft trade deals to its own advantage. All of the individual states that decided to join made the decision to give up their ability to make their own trade deals in return for access to the Single Market and the advantage of pooled negotiating power.

Repurposing the actual current state of affairs as a terrifying future threat is an extraordinary tactic, and it just goes to show how gullible people can be that the tens of thousands to have shared this nonsense didn't even notice that they were being directed to fear the introduction of what is actually the norm, and has been for decades.

8. No trade tariffs (absurdity)

This is basically just a reiteration of the previous point to present the current state of affairs as a terrifying future threat. Trade tariffs are decided communally by the EU. If it didn't work like this the Single Market and Customs Union couldn't exist in their current form.

9. No trade quotas (absurdity)

Another reiteration of the same idiotic effort to present the current state of affairs as a terrifying future threat.

The EU has the power to achieve favourable trade deals and to walk away from those which do not meet its standards. For instance, Canada was forced to back down over the relaxation of farming standards and "star chamber" secret courts to resolve commercial disputes which she originally wanted included in her deal with the EU. The USA was obstinate in sticking to its demands over food production in the other transatlantic trade negotiation and the EU told Trump what he could do with them.

Although the European Commission
  has the power to negotiate free trade agreements on behalf of the member states, [...] the final decision is in the hands of the individual governments [including the UK's]. EU free trade agreements are approved by qualified majority, though unanimity is required in cases that include trade in services; direct foreign investments; audiovisual and cultural services; social, educational and health services; and intellectual property. [Full article here.]

The EU is also positive force in  assisting developing nations through trade.

Rail nationalisation in Wales

Following the purchase of Cardiff Airport (which we taxpayers could have retained for next to nothing on council reorganisation in 1995), the Welsh government has been offered the Valley Lines real estate by Network Rail. The sale is expected to be completed by late September.

Two questions come to mind:

• is the Welsh government expected to take on any part of the Network Rail pension scheme?
• could this lead to a takeover of other internal routes, such as those in mid- and north Wales?

It could be argued that our government could hardly do a worse job of management than Network Rail whose poor cost control was a contributory factor to the GWR electrification being truncated. However, the future management structure and choice of head will have to be carefully chosen to guarantee that it will work for the public good.

 

Two Middle Eastern dictatorships launched

On February 25th  1954, a revolt by the army forced Syrian president Adib Shishakli to flee the country. On the same day, Gamal Abdel Nasser became the prime minister of Egypt as Mohammad Naguib, the figurehead of the revolt against British occupation of the Canal Zone, resigned.