markemuk.bsky.social
British/European. Policy advisor to European Movement UK. 25 years an EU official, former EU Commission spokesperson and head of media in London. Up the Palace. Allez l'Union.
Personal views.
341 posts
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1,223 following
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The E-gates thing is surely irrelevant - all visa waiver third countries will be able to use e-gates at EU airports once ETIAS in operation. Unlikely any MS will introduce them for Brits before, unless they were already going to? I think Portugal already did?
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And yes, this was a decent mostly balanced package led by the Commission and some very active energy companies (even some think-tank folk 🤓) - but virtually none of it is binding and so the real talks start now. I hope the UK side is not in any way complacent.
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Arch-Brexiters burbling weirdly about gimps and gags is a bit ironic when it is their attachment to Brexit purity that verges on fetishistic....
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Anyway, less than half of Erasmus + is about universities. Schools, apprentices and other vocational trainees, youth groups and grassroots sports clubs all can and do take part. And there is special help for disadvantaged groups.
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The “surrender” thing and the endless war metaphors were always in poor taste. But when they were first made, war had not returned to Europe and NATO was not hanging by a thread. So forgive me if I no longer have any patience whatsoever with people who pretend that UK and EU are enemies. Pathetic.
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It will be a better deal than Johnson's for fishers if a food safety agreement makes it easier for UK fishers to sell into the EU..
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Not clear yet if Erasmus will be part of the equation... but for the record, most of it is not about universities at all, but schools, FE colleges, vocational training, grassroots youth and sports clubs, young entrepreneurs, etc.
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Won't everyone be using e-gates soon once EU introduces EES/ETIAS? Except for first time using it perhaps - which could be chaos!
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Am guessing it will be about 80% constructive positivity...leavened with a pinch of defensive posturing for certain audiences...on both sides.
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Not unpopular with me...common sense, however regrettable....
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A balanced three course meal - ravioli, ravioli and ravioli youtu.be/t-jK37C4CxA
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The Bruges Group has always been odd as their very name is based on a speech by Margaret Thatcher that says exactly the opposite of their core idea - that the UK should cut itself off from Europe - here's the text for anyone who does not believe me
www.margaretthatcher.org/document/107...
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Furthermore - apart from obvious facts that his speech welcomed diversity and Starmer abhors Powell's views - what would he gain by a dog whistle audible only to those who know Powell's revolting speech in detail 57 years on! Mostly academics or politicos. Certainly
not most Reform voters!
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Poll Tax Bitter ?
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Well, yes and even to obtain that sort of inadequate correction took a lot of effort. I know, because we at the EC's UK office back then were the ones that obtained it..and others.