Year: 2023

Russian Murders in the Occupied Territories

by James Wilson

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has said that the Russians are committing mass war crimes against civilians in the occupied territories of Ukraine. As of 19 December, the UN recorded 142 cases of executions of Ukrainian civilians. In addition, numerous facts about large-scale torture and cruel behaviour towards detainees, including sexual…

Deal or No Deal?

by Philip Bushill-Matthews
Deal or no deal In 2016 during the referendum campaign Boris Johnson promised “we could strike free trade deals with America”; he would later add that such a deal would be “quickly in the back pocket.” In 2020 as PM he boasted: “We have got Brexit done and can now take full advantage of the fantastic opportunities available to us as an independent trading nation, striking trade deals with other partners around the world.” In 2022, following a rebuff from the USA he visited India and suggested that a trade deal would be completed by Diwali (October). A year has passed with no progress. So what has the UK actually achieved in terms of trade deals with other countries? The first was with Papua and New Guinea in March 2019, for implementation in January 2021, worth a puny £369 million a year. At least the International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, was honest when he said: “I am delighted to sign this trade continuity agreement as it will allow businesses to keep trading as freely as they do today.”  In other words it simply replicated the trading arrangements already secured by the EU. Big deal. The first real new deal was with Australia which came into force in May this year. International Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “This is just the beginning of a new era of opportunity for British businesses as we use our status as an independent trading nation to deliver an ambitious programme of trade deals with countries all around the world.” International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch hailed the deal as “fantastic”, although the potential £2.3 billion gain represents less than 0.1% of the UK economy. It now appears that it was a fantastic deal – for Australia. Minette Batters, who leads the National Farmers' Union in the UK, explained why: "This agreement simply opens up UK agricultural markets for Australian produce, whether or not produced to the same environmental and climate-friendly standards that are expected of UK farmers." Former Environment Secretary, George Eustice told MPs recently that "overall the UK gave away far too much for far too little in return" after Trade Secretary Liz Truss "shattered" the UK's negotiating position. The UK started negotiations "with the strongest possible hand" but Eustice revealed that negotiators were put "on the back foot" by Truss demanding that the deal had to be agreed before the G7 met in Cornwall in June 2021. As a result of the UK’s self-imposed timetable Australia now has full access to the UK market to sell beef and lamb, while still banning the import of British beef. Great deal Liz. On a positive note the UK has formally signed up to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – theoretically worth £12 trillion in GDP, although the government's own estimates indicate it might only add 0.08% to the size of the UK's economy in 10 years (recently reduced to 0.04%). Politically it is still good news, as it may blunt China’s chance to join: economically the jury is out as to whether it will ever translate into tangible financial benefits for the UK. On India, Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said there could be an agreement before the end of this year, though PM Sunak has abandoned a planned trip to Dehil because talks were bogged down. India is stalling perhaps for one simple reason. The EU and India have been negotiating intensively for over eight years and are keen to reach agreement before both have elections in 2024. Will India do a sudden deal with little UK which could put a wider EU deal at risk? Not likely. Finally, Sunak recently signed a new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership. The Government press release promised the UK’s economy will be boosted as a result. The next step will be to agree a bilateral investment treaty to deliver it. Until then, what has it actually achieved? According to Sunak “This new agreement with Singapore will take us even further in delivering our priorities and ensure that, as we map the future of the world economy, we are doing so alongside our closest partners.” Fine words, but basically window- dressing what is currently a friendly gesture between two nations – just like the UK/US Atlantic Declaration signed alongside President Biden earlier this year, which makes warm noises but absolutely no mention of any trade deal soon. So lots of positive spin but the promise of ‘fantastic’ trade deals has been exposed as another Brexit sham. Like most of Johnson’s pledges they were unfounded fantasies, but this has not stopped successive Conservative governments, including now Lord Cameron, continuing the charade and talking up future possibilities. There is however one market which is still packed with real opportunities for the UK. Fortunately, it is our nearest neighbour. Labour is beginning to admit this, but Conservatives refuse to acknowledge it: it is called the EU.

Photo by Fred Moon on Unsplash In 2016 during the referendum campaign Boris Johnson promised “we could strike free trade deals with America”; he would later add that such a deal would be “quickly in the back pocket.”   In 2020 as PM he boasted: “We have got Brexit done and can now take full advantage of the…

Environmental Challenges in Central Asia

by Guest Contributor
Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution initiated by Uzbekistan on: “Central Asia in the face of environmental challenges: strengthening regional solidarity for the sake of sustainable development and prosperity,” writes Qodir Djuraev. The inter-governmental negotiation process to develop and agree on the text of the resolution took place over…

Bioeconomy projects prove a boon for EU economy

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Climate change is an existential risk and depending on fossil resources is only likely to worsen the situation.  At the same time the European economy has been affected by a pandemic and the war in Ukraine. This all begs the question: How can Europe transition to a lowcarbon economy while continuing to…

Putin’s March on Europe

by James Wilson

If Putin is not defeated in Ukraine, he will march on Europe. In recent months, in sync with attempts at massive assaults on the front, Russia has been concentrating its propaganda efforts to cut off any Western support for Ukraine. In particular, it has cultivated the myth that the Russian army is invincible (which, in…

Mixed Reaction to Historic EU Deal on Migration

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash

Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash MEPs and national governments have reached a long-sought agreement to revamp the EU’s asylum and migration legislation. The EU Parliament and Council negotiators agreed on the final form of five separate EU regulations, establishing how to share the management of asylum and migration flows among member states and what to do in…

Campaign for overseas constituencies gains fresh momentum

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash

Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash A senior French MP has thrown his weight behind a campaign in Britain for overseas parliamentary constituencies. The campaign, run jointly by New Europeans UK and Unlock Democracy, says the UK could benefit by giving a “voice” to the 3.5 British citizens living abroad. French parliamentarian Alexandre Holroyd is one of 11 representatives of French citizens living abroad and took part in…

Ukraine’s EU Accession Talks

by James Wilson

On 14 December, EU leaders approved the European Commission’s recommendation to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, bringing both countries even closer to joining the EU. This is an extremely positive development for the whole of Eastern Europe, but at the same time there are many obstacles to overcome. Despite Orbán’s best efforts, the…

Judicial Independence in Uzbekistan

by Guest Contributor
Photo by AXP Photography on Unsplash

Photo by AXP Photography on Unsplash In order to ensure true independence, impartiality, openness and transparency in the work of the courts and to improve the efficiency and quality of justice, our country is carrying out large-scale judicial reforms as part of building a New Uzbekistan. The main purpose of this is to ensure in…

EU Sanctions Against Russia

by James Wilson

As part of the comprehensive twelfth package of sanctions adopted yesterday, the Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 61 individuals and 86 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Today’s new listings target primarily the military and defence sectors.  The Council is listing more than 40 companies taking part…