Brian Barder's website and blog Brian Barder's website and ephems
“European Union Referendum Bill 2015-16 Types of referendum “This Bill requires a referendum to be held on the question of the UK’s continued membership of the European Union (EU) before the end of...
With the perverse and wrong-headed decision to sack three of his shadow ministers, and to accept the resignations of two more, for the offence of voting for Chuka Umunna’s amendment favouring Britain’s continued membership of...
First, a reminder of the numbers of seats won compared with 2015: Conservatives: 318 (-13) Labour: 262 (+30) SNP: 35 (-21) LibDems: 12 (+4) DUP: 10 (+2) Others: 13 (-2) These figures prompt two...
The hung parliament resulting from yesterday’s UK election presents us all with some unfamiliar challenges. First, the basic numbers: Total Commons seats 650, -7 Sinn Fein, -4 Speaker & 3 Dep. Speakers = 639,...
This election is necessarily mainly about Brexit, overwhelmingly the most challenging issue facing Britain. Opinions for and against Brexit, or against a hard Brexit as apparently favoured by Mrs May, cut across traditional Tory-Labour...
We live in weird times. How explain any of the following? The economic and fiscal policies of Conservative governments since 2010 have been rampant failures, increasing national indebtedness to levels not seen during preceding...
How quickly the English commentariat forgets the recent past and glosses over inconvenient aspects of the present! The Guardian of 10 April 2017 published a slightly edited version of a letter from me of...
The House of Commons has given a first reading to Mrs May’s Article 50 trigger Bill by a large majority. Triggering Article 50 before the end of March, or at any other time, will...
Those of us who remain convinced that Britain’s place and future should be in the European Union with our closest friends, partners and allies have a plain duty to continue campaigning against Brexit. That...
The recent 448-75 parliamentary majority in favour of Mrs May triggering Article 50 (A50) by end March, just weeks away, probably marks the final defeat of those of us who continue to believe that...
In its formal legal submission to the Supreme Court, the British government states categorically that a notification of intention to withdraw from the EU will be irrevocable, and no conditions may be attached to it....