europeanunion

Thoughts from GMB 25 on privacy law

Over the last week, at GMB Congress, three reasons to rejoin the EU or at least the single market have, in my opinion, been exposed.

The EU’s GDPR is an important law establishing the right to privacy as we are learning considering the coming of AI. The law has been in place since 2018 and it is now common currency that ‘general monitoring’ is not permitted but some hi-tech companies, not all of them US based, seem interested in exploring the lines.

Firstly, the French Data Protection Supervisor has fined Amazon for its breach of the GDPR in its workforce monitoring regime. The fine amounts to a slap on the wrist but it is unlikely that the UK’s equivalent would take such action, it seems to have developed a fear of those its meant to control.

In the Equal Pay seminar, I learned that the EU has passed a “pay transparency directive”. Google AI says, “The EU Pay Transparency Directive, officially published in May 2023, aims to enforce equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through increased pay transparency and stronger enforcement mechanisms. EU member states have until June 7, 2026, to implement the directive into national law.” Brexit means that the UK will not need to amend nor improve its laws. If we, i.e. the trade unions has been tracking this more effectively, we might have asked for it as part of the “new deal”, but GMB at least has closed down its Brussels office.

During the debate on AI, which has an excellent and comprehensive motion, I looked up the EU’s AI Act which categorises applications and places constraints (or prohibitions) on what can be built with safety and privacy at the heart of the proposals. Social scoring is prohibited and employee management systems are considered high risk and need to be registered with the Commission.

While not covered, in the debates, we did discuss whether to decommit from twitter and this raises the question of the Democracy Shield and the Digital Services Act, the EU’s programmes to exclude foreign states and money from member state elections and to regulate the large social media platforms.

Specifically, it prohibits targeted advertising based on sensitive data or targeting minors. The DSA also bans the use of “dark patterns” or deceptive interfaces designed to trick users into actions like hidden costs or disguised ads. Additionally, it requires platforms to implement measures against illegal content, including mechanisms for users to report such content and for platforms to act on these reports.

Google AI Overview

I am convinced that the UK should adopt the DSA as the Trump/Vance assault on Europe’s freedom of speech continues. The UK needs to be part of the EU to enforce its laws against the social media giants, although it also needs will, which seems to be lacking from this government. …

Labour’s NPF and the EU

The Labour Party are running a policy consultation and asking for contributions to be submitted to the national policy forum portal.

They say,

We welcome submissions from members of the public, Constituency and Branch Labour Parties, trade unions and socialist societies, as well as contributions from expert organisations such as think tanks, businesses and civil society.

No matter how new you are to politics or how involved you are in the Party, you can contribute to the Party’s policymaking. All of us will have issues we particularly care about, and expertise and experience we can bring to the Party.

Another Europe have taken the opportunity to make the following submission calling for Labour to commit to rejoining the European Union.

The submission is below, and given that it is no longer possible to view and support other’s submissions, if you agree, it’d be great if you made a similar submission.

A proposal on relations with the European Union

With regard to the facts that,

the referendum to leave the European Union occurred in 2016; there have been three general elections since
the European Union remains the UK’s largest trading partner
the office of budget responsibility calculates that Brexit has cost the UK economy £140 billion
sustainable and managed trade is an important driver of GDP growth
the UK’s relationship with the European union is defined by the Withdrawal Agreement, the Windsor framework and the Future Trade and Cooperation agreement
the EU has raised eight complaints under the withdrawal agreement on trade compliance and the treatment of EU citizens resident in the UK

We conclude that

the mandate to leave the European Union has been superseded
Brexit and the terms negotiated by the Johnson administration have failed.

In the light of this Labour’s Policy should be,

In the short term
1. implement in good faith the UK’s obligations under the Brexit treaties while seeking a closer relationship with the EU
1. build on the Lancaster House summit to improve defence, trade, cultural, and judicial co-operation
1. rejoin the EU customs union and the single market, as soon as possible through negotiation with our European partners
In its next general election manifesto, to commit to rejoin the European Union

…

Second thoughts on the Euro-summit

Kier Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen in a conference room

It is my view that Starmer wants a Swiss style deal with the European Union. The reason I consider the summit to be a draw, albeit a score draw, is that neither of the end goals of rejoining nor staying out with a Swiss style agreement are closed off. But also, neither is the end result of the EU saying we’re too busy to spend this time “dot & comma-ing” with you.

There is no inexorability in rejoining from that agreement as I believe is implied by John Palmer’s Chartist piece. Perhaps, John believes that Trump will drive even Starmer away from NATO but I believe they will try very hard not to make the choice. In fact, I believe the proposal for a defence/security agreement is deliberately made to allow trade-offs against the single market acquis and to try to exclude security which includes border control co-operation from the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU Court of Justice’s jurisdiction.

I also believe much of Labour’s defence positioning is designed for internal party combat and learnt from simplistic board games.

However, ihis article, entitled “EU officially retires its ‘no cherry-picking’ Brexit line” may show that the new Commission (and maybe even the Council), are happier with a deal with opt-outs; even then, I am not sure I’d want to start from the withdrawal agreement.

I believe that those of us who believe that it’s a better world with a democratic EU still need to seek to influence the Labour Party and Government.

Image Credit: from flickr, Keir Starmer’s feed, CC 2024 BY-NC-ND …

Labour’s new deal for Europe

This is a comment on A new deal with the EU is exactly what Britain needs. Here’s how Labour will achieve it | Nick Thomas-Symonds | The Guardian – www.theguardian.com, I have made it with the help of diigo, where the headline comment on my bookmark, part generated and part selected from the article says, ‘via Comment is free | guardian.co.uk, subtitled, nonsensically, “This isn’t about politics – it’s about pragmatism. Working with our allies will make British people safer, more secure and more prosperous.”‘.

The article says nothing new and repeats the isolationist nonsense fantasies of Labour’s triangulators that Brexit can be fixed. It includes the phrase “honour the referendum” despite the fact that it was nearly nine years ago, and we’ve had three general elections since then.

Quotes and comments

We are equally confident in what the UK can offer in return. It is a politically stable country, and the government has a huge mandate, with more than four years left to deliver our policies. This stability has already inspired the confidence of businesses across the world, unlocking tens of billions of pounds of long-term investment.

The statistics aren’t in yet to substantiate investment numbers,

Labour is rising to meet the challenges in this new era of global instability.

This is not about ideology or returning to the divisions of the past, but about ruthless pragmatism and what works in the national interest.

When it comes to security, Nato is the cornerstone of our defence.

Really? A fantasy of the Labour Right, NATO’s gone, for at least four years, but Trump’s isolationism has not come out of the blue.

All of this will be framed by the very clear red lines we set out at the election. We won’t return to the arguments of the past: there will be no return to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement.

Well, it won’t work then. There isn’t a deal in which the UK wins at the expense of the EU. If only because, the queue of member states asking for their own opt-outs would be 25 long.

We will only agree an EU deal that meets the needs of the British people and respects the 2016 referendum result.

You can’t do both if you believe honouring the referendum means staying out of the EU but the referendum mandate was dishonestly won and is now nearly nine years old; I estimate that about 4½ million voters have died since then. …

The pan-European Mediterranean convention and EU/UK relations

This blog article comments on the reactions to Marco Sefcovic's suggestion that the UK as part of the negotiations to improve relations between the UK and the EU should consider joining the pan European Mediterranean convention (PEM); . Sefcovic is the commissioner responsible for trade. The rest of the article looks at HMG's lukewarm response and looks to explain what the PEM is. For more, press the button ...

Munich 2025, peace in our time

The last week has signified the death knell of NATO. The ninety minute phone call between Trump and Putin signifies the road to a 21st century Hitler Stalin pact. The Trump administration's proposals that the USA and Russia make peace in Ukraine without Ukraine being present at the table and mandating European NATO to provide peacekeeping forces are a return great power politics unrestrained by the rule of law. For more press the button ....

Twenty seven becomes …

One step forward, two steps back, or maybe not, for the EU. Iceland votes to consider joining, Turkey asks to revise its agreements to increase links, and demonstrators continue to protest in Georgia about the stolen election and the postponement of EU accession talks, and last month Moldova voted to change its constitution to permit accession talks to begin. Yet in the UK, the pall of stupidity and fear still envelopes the Labour Government. …

The Draghi report on European competitiveness.

I have been trying to get on top of whether the Draghi Report on European economic competitiveness is really a game changer. Without study it seems to be a call for more EU (as opposed to member state debt. I am of the view that within the UK, there needs to be transfer union i.e. that borrowing and wealth from London needs to be shared with other parts of the country.

I found this article from the FT, which is headlined, “Europe can learn fiscal lessons from the UK on how to achieve its goals”, and subtitled, “ A co-ordinated reform agenda is crucial if the EU is serious about becoming a climate leader and geopolitical player”, written by Draghi. On diigo, I highlighted the following lines,

The UK government has chosen to significantly raise public investment over the next five years and has adopted precise rules to ensure that borrowing is used only to fund this investment. … Moreover, in order to ensure the quality of spending, transactions will be validated by independent authorities.

To which I reply, “Of course Draghi would argue for independence. The near cultish following with which his recent comments have been greeted is based on the desire by politicians and capitalists to ensure the macroeconomic policy and regulation is outsourced to non-democratic agencies. Central bankers underestimate the ability of democracies to present a wisdom of crowds, even on investment decisions. An example of this is the EU’s horizon investment valuation process, which ranks proposals and select winners from a competition. The technocrats and democrats, particularly representative politicians also underestimate the value that citizens assemblies may bring to these decisions.

Draghi continues,

“A more efficient use of Europe’s high private savings rates requires integrating its capital markets. To redirect private investment from mature industries to more advanced sectors will hinge on completing the single market. … innovative firms in fast-growing sectors such as digital services will not be able to scale up and attract capital. And, as a result, investment will remain locked in old technologies.”

Is this true? Perez, whose theories I summarise on my blog, argues that the declining profit of now legacy industries will ensure that investment goes to new innovative industries. Also, like most Draghi is betting on digital services as the driver; Perez’s theories suggest that IT is now reaching its stagnation stage and will be replaced although we maybe in a stage where the political power of legacy capitalism is too powerful to be overcome. This is why corporate lobbying power is so destructive to human progress. …

Starmer, Berlin, rejoineu and delay

Even the press and some commentators noticed that Kier Starmer visited Berlin and repeated his Brexit red-lines and yet claimed to want to reduce trade frictions between the two countries.

Germany is not in a position to negotiate this. Trade with 3^rd countries is an EU competency. Starmer’s growth mission will be easier if the UK were to rejoin the single market [and customs union]. This involves him changing his mind, and talking to the Commission [FT] to the Commission in Brussels.

The British people would seem to want to rejoin the EU but the Labour Government and too many experts would seem to be still pursuing the chimera of a mercantilist patchwork trade deal which must be called “Cakeism” in the UK and will be called cherry-picking or extrawurst in the EU. This is not available, neither is a swiss style multi-treaty deal.

Starmer’s government seems to think that revamped Anglo-German military treaty will help the cause of reduced friction trade. There are three problems with this. Just as one shouldn’t start trade negotiations in Berlin but in Brussels, military co-operation needs to involve Poland which now has one of the largest armies in the EU. Since the British ambitions are broader i.e. beyond military co-operation and to include intelligence sharing and cybersecurity but since the UK was kicked out of Europol as part of Brexit because it no longer recognised the EU’s Charter of Fundamental rights, intelligence sharing will need a common recognition of privacy and judicial rights of citizens. The children and grandchildren of fascist and Stalinist societies will not permit their governments to outsource surveillance to an unrestricted and and unaccountable body. The third problem is that suspicious member states will characterise the UK position as wanting freedom of movement for weapons and ammunition, but not of people, and a single market for guns but not for anything else.

As a counterpoint, Richard Bentall writes in a thread where he states that “the only way to slow it [rejoining the EU] is by saying it’s too difficult”, to which I add that holding out for better opt-outs is merely delaying rejoining. As a reinforcement, Blade of the Sun argues that rejoining is simple,

You apply to rejoin.
They tell us what you need to do.
You do it.
Rejoin

And it is that simple, no opt-outs, no special deals but I fear that this Government are not yet ready to drop their dreams of a swiss-style/cakeist deal supported by too-clever academics and journalists, who are looking to ‘hack the treaties’. They need to make their mind up, do they want to be seen to be clever, or change the world; too often this is a choice and one that many academics and journalists fail to address or get wrong. …

The GMB & LME

At the GMB Congress, my Region, London, organised a fringe meeting on the “The rise of the far right and worker’s rights“. This was jointly organised with the Labour Movement for Europe who had planned to put their President, Stella Creasy, up to speak. I had originally planned to use the meeting and Congress as a last attempt to get better policy on trade and relations with the EU but the announcement of the election obviously changed this, and meant that Stella could not make it. My speech to the fringe, spoke of workers rights, sovereignty and its constraints and looked at the European Parliament results which has occurred on the previous weekend. You will find below my speech notes, although I did not use them all as I was unable to time the speech in practice and had too cut the speech short. …

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