Aloke Singh

Ah yes, ‘tough new border checks’ — otherwise known as the exact same rules the UK demanded for leaving the EU. Actions, meet consequences.

The British attitude towards the EU is a peculiar cocktail of malevolent delusion and malign nostalgia — forever convinced they're victims of a club they begged to leave, yet still obsessed with sabotaging from the outside.

Brexit wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was a swaggering act of wilful ignorance, sold by people who did know better—but banked on the public not noticing. They didn’t misread the EU. They lied about it. And then blamed Brussels when fantasy met fact.

Yes, counting non-voters or under-18s as Remain is unserious and self-sabotaging. But let’s also drop the “it was only advisory” line.

Legally true, but politically meaningless. The real problem was how the vote was won — and what came after.

Polite society still squirms at naming it, but racism wasn’t a side effect of Brexit—it was baked in. Many Leavers weren’t racists themselves, but they marched shoulder to shoulder with those who were. That complicity is the stain they’d rather not wear, but it’s there all the same.

Let’s not pretend. For all the guff about sovereignty and blue passports, scratch the Brexit surface and immigration—always immigration—bled through. In many towns, it wasn’t a debate, it was a vent. “Taking back control” was a fig leaf for something far uglier.

A timely reminder of what the SM is ....

Sovereignty isn’t something one owns - I t’s something one exercises through cooperation. Gibraltar’s new reality isn’t a betrayal, it’s the logical end of a fantasy. Brexit’s authors promised control but left behind chaos - they are now gone, as others are left to clean up the mess.

Actions have consequences—even when dressed in nostalgia or denial. Europe must act in its interests, just as the UK claimed to do. Sovereignty cuts both ways. Sympathy lies with those facing reality, not clinging to exceptions that were never promised.

The UK’s track record shows a deep discomfort with multilateralism - hardly ideal for EU membership. Calling that out is not being anti-British; it’s an evidence-based observation. If rejoining is on the table, EU members will need clear proof the UK is truly committed this time.

You are too kind.

As those in Ireland learned in the ’70s sovereignty isn’t lost in union, but deepened through cooperation. Whilst todays Brexit Brahmins remain in search of imperial glory.

As Yeats said: “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

That “heart of Europe” line overlooks a key truth: the UK has a deep-rooted allergy to multilateralism unless it comes with preferential terms. Until that changes, talk of reintegration beyond defence is wishful thinking, not strategy.

It may be delusional, but the UK has long seen itself as the self-appointed bridge between the US and Europe - a role rooted more in imperial nostalgia than real leverage. Starmer’s posture is just the latest iteration of that instinct, even if the context has changed entirely.

Kallas & Kubilius are right to reach out on defence and infrastructure, but Britain’s habit of insisting on carve-outs—and even overturning deals by Act of Parliament—makes any “commitment clause” toothless. Real cooperation needs enforceable, conditional guarantees or an arms-length approach.

It's naive to think the UK's stance on Ukraine was purely principled. Support was welcome, yes - but it aligned neatly with Johnson’s personal agenda: distraction from domestic chaos and a bid to reclaim moral leadership post-Brexit. The motives weren’t altruistic - they were opportunistic.

I beg to differ. The priority now should be building a genuinely self-sufficient European defence capability - not defaulting back to UK dependence. The moment calls for strategic autonomy, not another patchwork deal shaped around British exceptionality.

Let’s be clear: the new European defence architecture must be centred on France and Germany, backed by EU member states. The UK can no longer be relied upon—especially with Reform poised to steer it further toward US-style isolationism. Europe must take responsibility for itself.

Absolutely. It’s not just Horizon—programmes like Galileo and others must also be quarantined from UK interference. Until the UK shows it can engage in good faith without seeking special terms, there’s no case for a reset.

The UK still tries to undermine the EU.

It is time to make the UK take notice.

No reset, no Horizon, no nothing.

2/2: The single market cannot be compromised to accommodate a UK that still sees alignment as conditional or transactional. Arms-length isn’t punitive—it’s the only realistic way to protect the integrity of the European project.

1/2: Absolutely right. The UK has long shown an allergy to multilateralism—embracing it only when paired with exemptions, rebates, or bespoke terms. That’s not a foundation for genuine EU partnership, especially when core principles like the four freedoms are at stake.

The UK wants single market access but refuses the obligations that come with it. That’s not negotiation - that’s entitlement. The EU is a rules-based union, not a vending machine. Until the UK accepts it's not owed special treatment, it will remain on the fringe - by choice.

The deliberate pursuit of harm to others, simply out of spite or resentment, as a political act—knowing full well it damages all - is a uniquely English pathology. Brexit wasn’t just self-harm; it was self-harm as performance, aimed at ‘them’.

Because most Brexiters never benefited from FoM etc. they thought taking it away from “the middle classes” was a win. It was 2 fingers up to the libs.

Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world [FREE TO READ] Norms are eroding and old certainties are being challenged — we must act accordingly

Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz write about the future of European defence for @financialtimes.com
on.ft.com/44fEAVW

Brexit the 'stupidest thing any country has ever done' Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has told an audience in Dublin that Brexit was the single stupidest thing any country has ever done, adding that "it's hard to believe how they did it."

Back at Bloomberg, we fondly called him “Uncle Mike.” In a world of spin, his blunt, plain-speaking was oddly refreshing.

www.rte.ie/news/busines... Brexit the 'stupidest thing any country has ever done'

The irony of someone who clutches briefing papers like gospel now claiming referenda aren’t democratic because they weren’t *binding*. Parliament acted on it. Article 50 was triggered. Laws were passed. But sure - let's just pretend it was just a casual opinion poll they took very, very seriously.

If “it was only advisory” is your last line of defence, then you’re not upholding representative democracy—you’re indicting it. MPs weren’t hypnotised into triggering A50. They *chose* to act, knowing the stakes. That wasn’t duty. That was complicity.

2/2: MPs knew exactly what they were endorsing when they voted overwhelmingly to trigger Article 50. If your defence hinges on “it wasn’t binding,” you’re not protecting democracy—you’re airbrushing its failures.

1/2: Ah yes, the classic move: wave a briefing paper like it’s scripture, then misread it entirely. An advisory referendum *is* part of the democratic process—it’s how Parliament gauges public will. Non-binding legally ≠ politically meaningless.