In this issue of Brexit Watch... 🗞️
Membership census
The week that was
News
Opinion & analysis
Think Tank Corner
Video of the week
Images of the week
Tweet of the week
Podcast of the week
Membership Census
EM Members should have received an email this week from our Head of Strategic Communications, Pablo O’Hana, asking you to take part in the European Movement Census 2022. Pablo’s team is delivering a data-led campaign strategy for our movement. So the team needs to understand our target audience – starting with our members. The census has a series of varied questions that pollsters have asked in the UK over the last 12 months. Taking 15 minutes to complete the census will be an enormous help to us in putting together future campaigns. We have already had almost 2 000 responses - thank you. If you have not received your email, contact us atinfo@europeanmovement.co.uk
And while we are asking for your help…. we want to know how your local area has been affected by Brexit. There is still time to contribute to our Brexit Impact Heatmap by visiting www.brexitisntworking.uk. Let’s show Jacob Rees-Mogg that there are no “Brexit opportunities”. With your help we have plans to take this campaign to the streets - we will be in touch shortly.
The week that was 📰 BrexitWatch is mostly dedicated this week to Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine and the implications for the EU, the UK and the world. The section on opinion and analysis and Think-Tank corner are expanded a little and the news section is a little shorter, given that most BrexitWatch readers are no doubt already aware of the main news points.
The UK’s political aim in the short-term is to support Ukraine and its people in any way feasible in response to the terrible suffering Putin’s assault will inevitably cause. This was expressed across party lines in a show of unity in the House of Commons this week. In the longer-term, a recalibrated strategy for dealing with the threat from Russia will be needed – this seems to be agreed across the democratic world. The UK will obviously also want a voice in this.
The UK can still work through NATO and the G7 to pursue its aims. But not being at the EU table when issues like sanctions, energy, defence procurement and cybersecurity are being discussed has seriously weakened the UK’s influence. In addition, European summits – such as the one on 24 February, conclusions here – provide a political opportunity for leaders to hammer out common positions. The UK chair is now empty and the UK’s voice unheard in that room. The pointlessly antagonistic positions the UK government has taken towards the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol have no doubt further hampered its ability to get British views across. Leading European Movement figures issued statements referring to this self-inflicted damage. Our President Lord Heseltine said on Thursday in a statement which achieved a very strong reach on social media: “ I am ashamed that the country that in my lifetime saved European democracy has now absented itself as others determine Europe’s response.” Full text here. Richard Corbett, Honorary Vice-Chair of our Executive Committee and former leader of the Labour group of MEPs, followed up with an e-mail to members and supporters, also posted on our website here. Richard expressed full solidarity with the Ukrainian people. He also lambasted the Brexit government for reneging on the joint commitment with the EU in the Withdrawal Agreement’s Political Declaration to "establish a broad, comprehensive and balanced security partnership". The UK has not taken up the EU’s offer of detailed talks on such a partnership.
Key articles from UK and EU How Russian power and money became the new normal in the UK(LBC) How Europe is funding Putin’s war (Politico) The economic consequences of war in Ukraine (The Economist – limited number of articles each month available free) UK cost-of-living crisis will be ‘driven by war’ as petrol and food prices soar, warns Tom Tugendhat (The Independent) Ukrainians head for Polish border where thousands stand ready to help (ITV) Swift retaliation: Will Russia be kicked out of global banking platform?(France 24 – two minute video in English – includes points often absent from UK media) Germany’s Russia policy in tatters (Deutsche Welle – in English)
News 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 Other Brexit news from UK EU gets tough with UK over post-Brexit citizens’ rights (Politico) Brexit: Drop in European trade hitting profits, say firms (BBC Wales) Farmers in England and Wales face the toughest times in a generation(Guardian) No 10 distances itself from Rees-Mogg idea UK might scrap new goods testing regime (FT – paywall but accompanying Twitter thread by the FT’s Peter Foster with main points – well worth reading) Sample comment: “Or put another way, the new minister (Mr Rees-Mogg) clearly didn't really understand what he was saying. Thing is, spouting right-wing free trade platitudes is fine as a backbencher. But as a minister there's a danger someone might take you seriously. Perish the thought”. Opinion & Analysis 🗣️ Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will change the face of Europe for ever (Professor Timothy Garton Ash in the Guardian) For all the strong words today, Putin has exploited the West’s weakness, and the West has helped him to do so (Alastair Campbell in the New European – includes fascinating anecdotal insights) Fighting the threat from Putin will take teamwork. But who trusts Johnson’s Britain? (Martin Kettle in the Guardian) For Europe, Putin’s invasion is a before and after moment: after years of complacency the continent must get serious about security (Paul Taylor in Politico)
Think Tank Corner 🗣️ At times like this you can’t have enough of experts…. First, four analysts from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) this week gave their takes on the situation in ‘one minute reads’, under the banner A Sombre Hour for Europe. Second, the European Council on Foreign Relations has a very short round up of views from the capitals: perspectives on the war from Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Sofia, and Warsaw. Third, a longer Chatham House piece from last year on Myths and Misconceptions in the Debate on Russia. Some of this is contentious, all of it is interesting. Fourth, the Centre for European Reform’s Ian Bond argues that: Stronger sanctions on Russia are essential but not a strategy.
Meanwhile, the UK in a Changing Europe British Politics After Brexit conferencetook place on 22 February 09h-17h30. Full agenda and video here. If you only have a few minutes rather than eight hours (!) the UK in a Changing Europe report issued in connection with the conference is worth a look. Especially relevant for EM are the chapters “Do ‘Remainers’ and ‘Leavers’ still exist?” by the LSE’s Professor Sara Hobolt, with James Tilley (pp. 39-43) and “Brexit”by polling guru Sir John Curtice (pp. 95-97). Sir John’s piece and his “Is Brexit Over?” (spoiler – no !) keynote at the conference (from 7h46m on the video) provide some moderately hopeful signs for those of us campaigning for a closer EU-UK relationship.
Video of the week President Zelenskyy’s video address to the Russian people, 24 February(English subtitles)
Images of the week Sometimes still pictures can tell a story better than a moving one Guardian/Anadolu Agency/Getty Podcast of the week Women with Balls – Fiona Hill Yes, there is often a lot of nonsense in the Spectator but this particular podcast is very good. British-born former White House (Bush, Obama and Trump) adviser Fiona Hill talks to Katy Balls about growing up in the North East and moving to America, meeting Vladimir Putin, working in Trump's White House…and, er, why getting a perm was such a bad idea.
Cultural PS How totalitarianism insidiously crept into the life of one ‘normal’ family and temporarily won them round with delusions of greatness. Then it led inexorably to a war of aggression with disastrous consequences for the family, for the dictatorship that instigated the war, for the nation it ruled and for the whole world. This week’s Cultural PS is The Broken House: Growing Up Under Hitler by Horst Krüger, a brilliant and disturbing autobiographical book published for the first time in English in 2021. Cultural suggestions for future weeks warmly welcomed…. That's it for this week!
Let me know what you liked and what you didn’t, what you would like added/removed, etc. on mark.english@europeanmovement.co.uk Please note that the external sources quoted or linked to in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the view of the European Movement UK
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