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Dear Subscribers,
Despite Abba’s best efforts, the Conservative Party is still slipping through Theresa May’s fingers after a tense conference in Birmingham.
In a forceful speech to a packed-out conference hall, Boris Johnson argued that a Chequers-style deal would see the UK “paraded in manacles” having ceded constitutional power to a hostile institution; EU winners would take it all. May, however, continues to urge followers to take a chance on her plan (though she now appears to be avoiding the toxic name ‘Chequers’).
In other speeches, Brexit super trouper Jacob Rees-Mogg urged the UK to take hold of its future and embrace our inner Gulliver, and cast off the EU’s Lilliputian restraining ropes. Dominic Raab talked up the opportunities which even no-deal could offer, proposing corporation tax cuts. Raab pledged to “pull every lever” to ensure that the UK enjoys a period of reinvigoration post-March 2019.
Donald Tusk’s toys came out of the pram in response to Jeremy Hunt likening the EU to the Soviet Union. The foreign secretary likened the EU to a prison for its punitive attitude to the UK in the Brexit negotiations. However, Tusk has managed to make himself surprisingly popular with Brexiteers, stating loudly and clearly that a Canada-style deal is still on the table.
Over in questions of money, money, money, two British businessmen surnamed Martin remained bullish about post-Brexit trade. Tim Martin of Wetherspoons pledged to source more non-EU products, with greater emphasis on American wheat beers and Australian wines. Stuart Martin of Catapult talked up the global alternatives to the EU’s Galileo project – which the EU insists post-Brexit Britain can no longer participate in.
Media
The ‘border issue’ isn’t about Northern Ireland, it’s about keeping us in the EU: Charles Moore cites BfB in The Telegraph
Journalist Charles Moore used his Saturday column in The Telegraph to address the still controversial question of the Irish border. He rightly points out it is a lack of political will on the part of the Republic of Ireland and the EU – rather than a lack of viable technical solutions – which is holding up progress on the border question, and cites the work of BfB co-founder Graham Gudgin on the topic.
“It is clear that technical solutions to border checks can be found, without “new infrastructure”, if people want to find them. (Suggestions have been expertly expounded by Professor [sic] Graham Gudgin at Policy Exchange.)”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/10/06/border-issue-isnt-northern-ireland-keeping-us-eu/
Dr Graham Gudgin on BBC Northern Ireland Sunday Politics: Brexit and Civil Rights
BfB co-founder and economist, Dr Graham Gudgin, has been discussing Brexit and civil rights with BBC Northern Ireland’s Sunday Politics programme. If you missed the broadcast, you can catch up with what he had to say on the BBC iPlayer. Dr Gudgin appears throughout the programme, with his first commentary from around 12 minutes in:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0blphjf/sunday-politics-northern-ireland-07102018
On the website this week
Blog
Brexit and Productivity: A house built on sand, by Harry Western
Senior private sector economist Harry Western exposes yet another batch of pessimistic Treasury predictions – this time focusing on claims that Brexit trade losses will bring down productivity. He points to two key issues: that productivity is just as likely to affect trade; and that the data is heavily based on the economies of developing countries, and so is less relevant to that of the UK.
“a very large chunk of the negative effects on GDP found by some studies of Brexit is based on extremely shaky empirical foundations”
https://www.briefingsforbritain.co.uk/brexit-and-productivity-a-house-built-on-sand/
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Discussion continues on Facebook too, with Harry Western’s debunking of Treasury doom-mongering on productivity particularly widely liked and shared.
How you can help
Do keep reading our posts, and tell others about us. We want you to share links to our quality content so that others can understand how leaving the EU can be good for the UK economy and for our own democratic governance. By sharing our content and articles we hope that we can increase public understanding of the real impact of Brexit on the UK.
We aim to educate our critics to think differently and more positively about the long-term impact of Brexit.
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Yours Sincerely,
Newsletter Editor
An Oxbridge PhD Student
Dr Graham Gudgin
Economist, Centre for Business Research, Judge Business School University of Cambridge
Professor Robert Tombs
Emeritus Professor of French History, University of Cambridge
