Cambridge for Europe

Consensus voting made sense when there were only a dozen EU member states, but with 27 (or more) it's a recipe for paralysis and a facilitator of corruption in countries such as Hungary and Slovakia that the EU could otherwise root out.

All EU decisions should be made by Qualified Majority Voting.

So long as the national veto, concensus voting, is retained for foreign and security policy, the EU will never be able to properly defend its interests or values.

@vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu is right that the millstone of consensus voting must be taken from around the EU's neck.

UK-EU SPS Agreement - Legislation in scope To cut red tape and costs for importing and exporting with the EU, the UK will align with EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) legislation.

UK government releases list of 76 EU laws that it says UK will align with under food standards treaty with EU www.gov.uk/government/n...

Every time I read what a UK minister says about the EU it almost feels like they're assuming we have the same power as members. We're not negotiating, we're making representations. Only EU institutions are negotiating their rules.

A letter headed "Europe trade ties can turn our fortunes around", which was published in The Yorkshire Post on 9 March 2026. Jas Olak, Vice Chair of Leeds for Europe says Brexit has hit UK trade and the Government needs to do more to rebuild the country's economic relationship with members of the European Union.

#EuropeanUnion a great investment for Britain, Vice Chair @jazz072.bsky.social tells @yorkshirepost.co.uk: £10 back for each £1 spent

#Brexit has hit trade & deals agreed since leaving #EU won't compensate: "Is #UKLabour #Starmer doing enough to rebuild trade ties & turn economy around?"

#RejoinEU

Private jet used for Nigel Farage Chagos stunt linked to Reform mega-donor Exclusive: Plane that flew Reform leader to Maldives appears to be linked to billionaire Christopher Harborne

Man of the people backed by crypto billionaire?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/08/private-jet-used-for-nigel-farage-chagos-stunt-linked-to-reform-mega-donor

Unlocking enlargement and building common defence: next steps for the European Union Our proposals include revising the Copenhagen criteria, streamlining the formal accession process, creating a new category of EU accession state, drafting an intergovernmental defence treaty and establishing a European Security Council.

@chrisgrey.bsky.social Here's my latest. The way back to Europe for Britain will be through a new security and defence treaty, alongside Ukraine. www.epc.eu/publication/...

The Economist, Ten years after the EU referendum, Britain has become more European. 8 March.

Britain still remains in Europe geographically. It's time we start acting like it, and repair our relationship with the continent.

[The SPS agreement] will make it easier, cheaper and quicker for British businesses to export and import food, animals and plants. By removing complex checks and paperwork for the vast majority of this trade, an agreement will reduce costs and red tape for local businesses while fully protecting the integrity of the UK internal market. Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

The UK Government have launched a six-week call for information as it ‘moves closer’ to a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU. The agreement aims to facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood goods and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

The first lesson of war is ‘know your enemy’ – and Britain’s enemy now is Donald Trump | Simon Tisdall As the Iran disaster escalates, the US president should be seen as an enemy whose actions threaten the lawful, democratic way of life everywhere, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdal...

Simon Tisdall makes excellent points in this article.

Nearly ten years ago the UK voted to leave the EU, but we should have been seeking independence from the US instead.

We must do so now, and reuniting with our democratic European allies will be key to it.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Iran war drives oil price above $100 a barrel for first time since 2022 Escalating military aggression in Middle East continues to wipe 20m barrels from market each day

War between autocratic regimes (Trump, Netanyahu, Khamenei), whose main beneficiary is another autocratic regime (Putin).

The citizens of Europe’s democracies, perhaps Ukraine above all, will pay the price.

Yet Trump smarts at our lack of enthusiasm.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The US could always say "no".

It's difficult to see how the UK Government can seize the moment for a really meaningful reset in the UK-EU relationship while clinging to a Blue Labour agenda on immigration and identity.

To be fully trusted in Europe, the UK government must embrace the idea of Europe, and the four freedoms!

The Brexit Reset That Isn’t Resetting Ten years after Brexit, mounting geopolitical pressures are driving calls for the UK and EU to deepen cooperation and accelerate their stalled reset.

“Brexit meant Brexit, but ... the geopolitical landscape has changed beyond recognition. It is time for the UK government to recognize that the EU is Britain’s closest ally and its strongest partner for sustainable economic growth in this new world order.”

intpolicydigest.org/the-brexit-r...

On International Women's Day we remember that rights are never given, they have been fought for, and they must be defended.

And there is now an axis of autocracy from Washington to Moscow, and including Reform and others in the UK, that seeks to undermine women's rights.

Single Market membership would bring certainty, lower costs and give firs access to customers and supply chains without constant paperwork and delays. It would support growth in goods and services, not just tidy up the margins. This is the pragmatic route back to serious economic Join the Single Market.

The Single Market was responsible for 41% of the UK’s exports in 2024, and remains the largest trading bloc in the world. Rejoining would eliminate trade barriers for most goods and services, control consumer prices, and allow capital, goods and people to move freely.

The Trump regime doesn't want allies, it wants servants ... and Blair is happy to be one.

Trump attacks Starmer while turning a blind eye to Russia sharing intelligence on US forces with Iran.

The UK must build a new defence alliance with our European allies - the EU, Ukraine, and Norway.

Ukraine wins first 6 medals at Winter Paralympics, taking early lead With three gold, two bronze, and one silver medal, Ukraine leads the overall medal standings.

⚡️Ukraine wins first 6 medals at Winter Paralympics, taking early lead.

With three gold, two bronze, and one silver medal, Ukraine leads the overall medal standings.

This should be a bright, blinking light catching everyone’s attention.

The Trump regime doesn't want allies, it wants servants.

Trump attacks Starmer while turning a blind eye to Russia sharing intelligence on US forces with Iran.

The UK needs to build a new, stronger defence relationship with our European allies, the EU, Ukraine, and Norway.

Merz should seize the opportunity to push back against Trump Unlike his predecessors, Germany’s chancellor does not define himself by constraints

It's time for European leaders to come together and stand up to Donald Trump.

https://www.ft.com/content/9accba0a-31e1-460c-abd7-6a63d1d53b7f

Rustaveli Avenue now, on day 465 of daily, uninterrupted, nationwide protests in Georgia.

Russia launched 29 missiles and around 480 drones across Ukraine. One strike hit a five-story residential building in Kharkiv, killing 11 people, including two children and injuring at least 16.

Russia’s war continues to take civilian lives.

#Kharkiv #StandWithUkraine #RussiaIsATerroristState

Striking that Trump's minions are more critical of European countries for limited support, or sitting this war out, than they are of Putin for handing information to Iran

Is the Brexit tide turning? East Anglia prepares It’s been 10 long years, but the signs are growing that you can’t keep a good idea down for ever

Even the right-wing press, once so wedded to the notion of #Brexit and its inevitable success, is beginning to let slip that perhaps it hasn’t all gone as swimmingly as many suggested it would. It’s been a long and downhill road since the Brexit referendum.
eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/brexit/...

Interesting that among the few advance plans we made are those that benefit Russia. See my longer essay on Oligarchic Corridors.
snyder.substack.com/p/the-oligar...

Yes. And we have to talk about this now, because talking about it is the first step to making it seem like a callous crime rather than a surprising emergency.

Russian mass attack on Ukraine kills 7 in Kharkiv, including children Russia attacked Kharkiv, Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles and drones overnight on March 7, targeting energy infrastructure.

Seven Ukrainian civilians were murdered by Russia in Kharkiv last night.

As the world reels from the impact of Trump and Netanyahu's war of choice against Iran, the Putin regime continues its terrorist war of aggression against the Ukrainian people.

kyivindependent.com/russia-targe...

As the world reels from the impact of Trump and Netanyahu's war of choice against Iran, the Putin regime continues its terrorist war of aggression against the Ukrainian people.

Why are we allowing all the worst people to set the agenda?

#RussiaIsATerroristState

Cui bono?