Brexit Reset – Spring 2026

The Government has announced it plans to introduce a Bill to allow the Government to “dynamically align” with the European Union‘s single market. This comes at the end of a series of events over the last four and half months, since I wrote, https://davelevy.info/wiki/brexit-reset-winter-2025-26/ I comment on these at https://davelevy.info/labours-brexit-tanker-is-turning/, since then What’s disappointing is…

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Military Air Transport in European NATO

I was thinking about how Europe might ensure its capability should the US reduce its commitment to NATO in Europe. In Pressing Reset, a Fabian pamphlet, Calvin Bailey MP, one of Labour’s ex-military MPs wrote in an article, “Defence Co-operation” that the UK had superior offerings in maritime capability, medical capability and logistics. The last…

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Electoral finance reform

Have the Labour Government finally decided to put a stop to foreign donations? The Guardian reports in an article entitled “Overseas political funding capped and crypto donations blocked in blow to Reform UK”. It’s an important issue but caps are needed for domestic donation too.

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From Here On, We Must Go Alone

I was sent an English [machine] translation of a speech by Jürgen Habermas together with a prequel summary. … I am sharing below the new speech by 96-year-old Jürgen Habermas, titled “From Here On, We Must Go Alone,” which he gave at the Siemens Foundation in Munich. It is about the future of Europe and…

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The Law and Free Speech

A lengthy post on “Free Speech/Free Expresion” by Graham Smith on linkein caused me to pick up my copy of “Prohibiting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”, published by article 19 in December 2012 which reviews the conflicts between the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on civil and political rights. The…

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Two speed E.U.

One of the reform proposals at the end of the last EU mandate, was a multi-speed Europe. I reported on the most explicit initiative https://davelevy.info/wiki/sailing-the-high-seas-reforming-and-enlarging-the-eu/ . Has the time come again to look at this as an answer to the EU’s sclerosis. The challenges are clear, with the federalists or federalist adjacent players looking at…

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Brexit ‘reset’ Winter 2025/26

Meetings have occurred in monitoring and managing the Withdrawal Agreement and Trade & Co-operation agreement, over the last month, but what did they say and agree. I’d say, not very much. As ever, links and notes …

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Universities, funding & growth

There is a Commons Education Select Committee Inquiry going on into University Funding, with hearings held at the beginning of the week. On the Tuesday 25th, they took oral evidence including that from Susan Lapworth, the CEO of the Office for students, who stated that 50 institutions were [financially] vulnerable with 24 at risk of…

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And yet there’s more, the Labour Government and immigration.

Shabana Mahmood trailed and then announced even more appalling restrictions on asylum seekers. The Govt announcement entitled, “Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy” is on the web. Freemovement,org respond with this article, ‘Home Secretary announces major asylum and other changes in new policy paper: “Restoring Order and Control”’….

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Rolling back the tide

The EU is rolling back some of its corporate regulatory measures in the areas of sustainability reporting, and coming soon, simplifications in the digital economy laws. Here are some notes and links …

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