Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

muriel_volestrangler

(101,146 posts)
Sun May 3, 2020, 07:18 AM May 2020

Bonfire of European-based regulation: UK pulling out of anything that it can

Last edited Sun May 3, 2020, 08:07 AM - Edit history (2)

Nick Cohen's opinion piece today (well worth reading, by the way) linked to The Brexit Blog of Chris Grey, professor of Organizational Studies at Royal Holloway. And it's an eye-opener. While coronavirus has been dominating the news, we find:

The European single market might better be described as a regulatory union, and that would certainly be a better description of the EU than a ‘federal super state’. But of course such a regulatory union does imply a supra-national system for making and enforcing regulations, hence removing the need to do this on a national basis. Yet it is this to which Brexiters object and it is now driving the government to ever more hardcore and, frankly, bizarre extremes. I wrote in last week’s post (in an analysis quoted in the FT this week [£]) about how this has led to the ridiculous decisions not to participate in the Unified Patent Court, the European pandemic warning system and the European Arrest Warrant (leaving the safety and security zone, mentioned above, is yet another example from last week).

Within hours of posting that blog it was announced that, additionally, the government will not seek to maintain any form of membership of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and will develop its own national system. This is to cost an estimated £30-40 million a year to develop, against an annual EASA contribution of £1-4million (£). Less widely commented on, at a Select Committee session this week Michael Gove also confirmed that the government would not seek participation in REACH, the chemicals industry regulatory system, a major blow to that industry which will add significantly both to costs and supply chain friction.
...
The need for international bodies and cooperation is another Brexit-relevant lesson of the coronavirus pandemic. It is a reminder of how interconnected we are. People travel around the world for work or for leisure and with them they carry diseases, the responses to which may be nationally inflected but entail international cooperation and information-sharing. This is not just a general observation. As regards coronavirus specifically, by the time a vaccine is (hopefully) developed the UK will be outside the European Medical Agency (EMA) and therefore its fast-track drug approval system as well as its joint procurement scheme. Potentially, this means Britain getting any vaccine later and at greater cost than the EU.

https://chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2020/03/viral-brexit.html

And it all seems to be because of a pathological hatred of the European Court of Justice, which is sometimes the final arbiter for these bodies and agreements, or a conviction that any participation in European (but not EU) bodies would make the UK look too willing to cooperate, which implies compromise and thus "weakness" to Brexit fanatics; and the only ones left in the Tory government are the fanatics, as Nick Cohen points out:

Yet the practicalities best explain why, in the words of Professor Chris Grey, one of the best chroniclers of our decline, a Brexit movement “impervious to reason and incapable of engaging with complexity” has reached its terminus. Millions of Britons must have gazed on the cabinet and thought, “really, Tories, is that your best shot?” They should remember that Johnson destroyed the careers of Alistair Burt, David Gauke, Justine Greening, Dominic Grieve, Philip Hammond, Ed Vaizey and many another Conservatives with ministerial experience because they wouldn’t inflict a no-deal Brexit on Britain.

He sent others to the backbenches. Jeremy Hunt, for example, was health secretary for six years and you can wonder why he isn’t helping out now. Then you remember he challenged Johnson for the Tory leadership and so had to be punished. I am not asking you to like the Conservative politicians Johnson pushed aside, only to accept that the emergency demands the services of ministers who know how government works. Instead, we have a dilettante PM, a cabinet of nobodies and a civil service policed by Vote Leave propagandists, who can fool the country in a referendum but have no idea how to manage it in a crisis. An administration of all the sycophants rather than all the talents.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/02/the-british-charlatan-style-has-been-sent-packing-by-too-much-reality
8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Bonfire of European-based regulation: UK pulling out of anything that it can (Original Post) muriel_volestrangler May 2020 OP
For CONservatives, ideology trumps common sense. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz May 2020 #1
Brexit and Johnson are mirror reflections of Trumpers in US captain queeg May 2020 #2
Because they feel no need to cooperate with others LastDemocratInSC May 2020 #4
Yes, just like here, sadly! machoneman May 2020 #3
Yes. No wonder they are friends. n/t Peregrine Took May 2020 #7
Career criminals have reason to fear Ghost Dog May 2020 #5
Some of these decisions are just stupid! And ripe for corruption. CrispyQ May 2020 #6
Disgusting LeftishBrit May 2020 #8

LastDemocratInSC

(3,623 posts)
4. Because they feel no need to cooperate with others
Sun May 3, 2020, 09:50 AM
May 2020

And have contempt for the concept of the "commons", being things and ideas that we all share, even across national boundaries.

CrispyQ

(36,221 posts)
6. Some of these decisions are just stupid! And ripe for corruption.
Sun May 3, 2020, 10:13 AM
May 2020

Just like in the good 'ole USA—grifting is in high style.

Latest Discussions»Region Forums»United Kingdom»Bonfire of European-based...