How cruel can history be? Having just secured a hard-fought victory over stubborn EU remainers, ‘Team Leave’ finally managed to escape from Brussels' straitjacket of rules and legal patronage on February 1, 2020. Within days after taking back control, however, it already had to surrender the regained sovereignty to an invisible, incalculable and deadly virus. Glory and adversity are inseparable comrades in politics. This edition of my Brexit monitor predicts that the 'walkover' Boris Johnson thought he had secured, will turn out to be an uphill battle instead.

PostedApril 29, 2020

AuthorMark Goudsmit

CategoriesEurope, Brexit, Economy, Politics

TagsBrexit, Johnson, Corona, Leadership, COVID-19, UK

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The recent House of Commons’elections finally brought the endless Brexit soap to a sudden halt. With a majority of 43 seats and divided opposition, the Conservative party has all the cards in its hands to reshape the domestic political agenda for the next five years. It does not alter the fact, however, that there is still a long way to go internationally. 'Getting Brexit Done' is now officially a fact ... but will it work?

PostedFebruary 1, 2020

AuthorMark Goudsmit

CategoriesBrexit, Europe, Politics, Economy

TagsBrexit, EU, Boris Johnson, trade, export, car industry, Uk

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Again, a Brexit deadline expires without result. Brexit will be decided in a general election (or not?). Boris Johnson plays the card of protecting 'the will of the people'' to force his luck at the ballot box. Nobody has a clue what that 'will’ might be. This article attempts to figure out what 'the people' precisely wanted when they voted for 'Leave'. It might be something quite different from what the hard Brexiteers are now aiming for.

PostedOctober 29, 2019

AuthorMark Goudsmit

CategoriesBrexit, Economy, English language blogs, Europe, Politics, Populism

TagsBrexit, UK, EU, Singapore-upon-Thames, ERG, Johnson

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Sir Winston Churchill would turn in his grave. If the Battle of Britain was the highlight of sacrifice by the very few for the future of so many in the United Kingdom and beyond, then the Brexit is the opposite. Rarely, dysfunctional (in)action of so few, affected the future of so many. This episode of the Brexit monitor looks back, takes stock and (with due hesitation given the unpredictability of things) looks ahead.

PostedMay 4, 2019

AuthorMark Goudsmit

CategoriesBrexit, Europe, English language blogs, Politics

TagsBrexit, UK, EU, Brexit monitor, backstop

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An open letter to the members of the European Council, Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of the Republic of Ireland, and the negotiators of the European Union and the United Kingdom under Article 50.2 TEU, arguing to unlock the deadlock in Brexit negotiations and promoting a Schengen-like solution for (Northern) Ireland

PostedJanuary 24, 2019

AuthorMark Goudsmit

CategoriesBrexit

TagsBrexit, Open Letter

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Parliament Square, London - January 15, 2019 (Irish Times/picture by Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

The 15th of January 2019 should have gone into history as the day that the United Kingdom took back control from the European Union .... if not for the fact that everything in this file always unfolds in entirely other ways than expected, while actually nothing has changed that much. Theresa May is still there, the Brexit-deal is by no means dead, and the British remain hopelessly divided. In this interim Brexit-update, I try to explore the current situation, and make some predictions.

PostedJanuary 20, 2019

AuthorMark Goudsmit

CategoriesBrexit, Economy, Politics, English language blogs, Europe

TagsBrexit, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Good Friday, EU, no-deal

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Has any progress been made in the Brexit negotiations during the past weeks? The signals are vague, and the details are thin. Is there any smoke, and if so where is the fire? The little that comes out of the ‘tunnel’ suggests that progress is underway on the Irish border issue and financial services, but we are as yet not allowed to know to what extent. Although I think Brexit still is a ridiculous idea, a deal is better than no deal. This article will explain why based on a comparison of performance between Ireland and the United Kingdom, since 1973. Also, the results of the 2nd quarter of 2018 of the Brexit monitor are now available as well.

PostedNovember 8, 2018

AuthorMark Goudsmit

CategoriesEconomy, Politics, Brexit

TagsBrexit, May, United Kingdom, Conservative, EU, Brussels

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How COVID-19 torpedoes UK's post-Brexit ambitions - Brexit monitor fourth quarter 2019

Brexit is done .... now what?

Singapore-upon-Thames?

Brexit: the first nine seasons; Brexit monitor 4th quarter 2018

Unlocking the deadlock on Brexit negotiations / Schengen-like solution for (Northern) Ireland

Fifty Shades Of Brexit

Failing British politicians are the root cause of Brexit, not Brussels: Brexit monitor 2nd quarter 2018