The UK Prime Minister, Mrs May, writes today that to have a second Referendum in the UK on Brexit would be “a gross betrayal of democracy”. If she believes that, she does not understand democracy very well. She seems to suggest that democrats, having made a decision, should not ever change their minds. In fact, democracy is all about creating mechanisms whereby voters CAN change their minds. Democracy allows voters to change their minds, usually through parliamentary elections. Totalitarian or dictatorial regimes, who...

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BY JOHN BRUTON Brexit is a British decision. It means that Britain is seeking to withdraw from a contract it made with the other EU members, on the basis of which those countries opened their markets to British business, in a way it was not opened to other countries. That was the deal. In business, if one unilaterally withdraws from a contract, one does not normally expect to continue to enjoy all the benefits of the contract, afterwards.  One expects to have...

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The European Commission has today adopted a Communication outlining the ongoing work on the preparation for all outcomes of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. On 30 March 2019, the United Kingdom will leave the EU and become a third country. This will have repercussions for citizens, businesses and administrations in both the United Kingdom and the EU. These repercussions range from new controls at the EU's outer border with the UK, to the validity of UK-issued licences,...

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The Council, in EU27 format, was briefed by the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on the state of play in the Brexit negotiations. The chief negotiator informed the ministers about where the negotiations stand regarding: the work to finalise the withdrawal agreement, including the backstop solution for the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland the discussions on future EU-UK relations. We will only have a withdrawal agreement if the legal text is agreed on all issues. This includes the backstop for Northern Ireland. In...

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