By Bev Haigh-Jones
This month, we’ll start with some less well publicised, but encouraging events from the party conference season. At the Tory conference, during a fringe event co-hosted by the European Movement and UK in a Changing Europe, David Gauke told his fellow Tories, “I think the Conservative Party is on the wrong side of the argument on our relationship with Europe.” Encouragingly, this apparently went down well with his audience and this was followed at the Labour conference by a fringe event addressed by Stella Creasy where she stated “I think there are grounds to be very hopeful”. Earlier in the week, at a fringe reception, she had told the audience that “Brexit is like setting your hotel room on fire because you discovered there isn’t a pool”.
Staying on the Brexit theme and remaining with the more positive recent events, an article in University World News suggests that the possibility of the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ scheme is looking more hopeful. This comes, of course, after the recent success with the Horizon scientific programme. Meanwhile, on 29 September Michael Heseltine, long-standing EU supporter and President of the European Movement, took part in a podcast that is well worth your time.
Another recent event – which you may well have come across in the media already, but one which I had to include as it bodes well for the future of the EU – is the result of the Polish elections. Although Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition Party did not win the majority of seats, when added to those of its allies, their number is greater than those won by the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party. It is expected that Tusk will be the head of a new, pro-EU government.
Exeter University have also been focusing some of their research on Brexit. In 2019 they carried out a study on why people in Cornwall voted for Brexit and they have now followed this up with a survey of business managers, comprising both remain and leave voters. The result was that a significant majority reported that Brexit has had a negative impact on their business, including amongst the leave voters.
On a less positive note, though still a Brexit-related issue, it seems that our government may yet again be guilty of ostrich syndrome. New rules take effect in the EU at the end of 2024 which ban the import of certain goods linked to deforestation that has occurred since 2020. Although in the 2021 Environment Act, the UK government pledged to ban such commodities, the secondary legislation compelling companies to comply has not yet been introduced. A letter to Environment Secretary Therese Coffey from the UK’s major supermarkets urges the government to speed up the legislation to avoid disruption to the UK’s exports to the EU.
Suella Braverman is never far from the news, or controversy, and this month is no exception, with openDemocracy reporting on two of the issues involving her at present. Firstly, she had apparently levied criticism at refugees for their failure to learn the English language, but it seems that behind the scenes the plan for an English for speakers of other languages strategy was paused in 2020 and earlier this year Education Minister Robert Halfon would not confirm the current status of the strategy. Also, with Ms Braverman having overridden Parliament to sneak new anti-protest laws through, even though they had previously been voted down, Liberty have been given permission by the High Court to sue her, as the action has been deemed illegal.
For an interesting mix of news and gossip related to government, prominent figures, or organisations, it is hard to beat Mandrake of The New European. In this particular issue he covers the cost to the taxpayer of our quick succession of Prime Ministers, the lack of NRM coverage by the BBC, the Murdoch empire and several other topics.
Closer to home it seems that Tory Cornwall Council leader, Linda Taylor, has been nominated for the award of “Leader of the year” in a national competition, despite the disastrous result of her council’s attempt to push Cornwall into a devolution deal that would have necessitated a Mayor for Cornwall.
And finally, it seems that Rishi Sunak’s comments about ending the “war on motorists” may have had an impact on attitudes in Cornwall. Apart from criticising the ULEZ schemes and low traffic areas, the Prime Minister also stated that he would consider restricting the ability for councils to impose 20 mph limits and this attitude seems to have resulted in some locals taking matters into their own hands. As reported in Cornwall Live, two average speed cameras recently installed on the A39 in Perranaworthal at a notorious accident black spot, were cut down with angle grinders causing an estimated £40,000 worth of damage. These were installed after a six-year campaign by locals, but cut down in a matter of minutes. Nothing has been achieved other than the extra costs, as they will be replaced. One wonders if the guilty parties are pleased with themselves!
