en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1882024 Comments by randyfmcdonald https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/09/iain-dale-we-all-want-our-city-and-town-centres-to-return-to-normal-but-that-isnt-possible-at-present-so-we-must-get-used-to-it.html#IDComment1094123906 'I sense you are going to be really pi**ed off when the economy doesn't tank after the New Year." It would be surprising if it did immediately, in normal times. Below-trend growth, as noted elsewhere, was expected. The only cases where economic growth took off after separatism involved countries once locked in much more dysfunctional political entities than the EU, and even then it could take decades for growth to materialize even after the seceding entities had established much more functional economies and relationships. Fri, 25 Sep 2020 15:12:27 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/09/iain-dale-we-all-want-our-city-and-town-centres-to-return-to-normal-but-that-isnt-possible-at-present-so-we-must-get-used-to-it.html#IDComment1094123906 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/09/iain-dale-why-have-buckland-and-braverman-signed-up-to-breaking-international-law.html#IDComment1093801803 Have you bothered to see if non-Britons actually want CANZUK? Sun, 13 Sep 2020 02:31:04 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/09/iain-dale-why-have-buckland-and-braverman-signed-up-to-breaking-international-law.html#IDComment1093801803 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/09/daniel-hannan-cameron-maligns-brexiteers-because-he-misunderstands-them.html#IDComment1080940585 "Had Cameron come back with any retrieval of power or, indeed, with a sovereignty amendment of the sort that Gove and Johnson had wanted, he would have won the referendum." Britain's problems had very little to do with the European Union and more to do with its own failures of government. The large post-2004 influx of migrants from the new member-states of the European Union west to the United Kingdom, most obviously, was enabled by the decision of the British government at the time to immediately open its labour market to these people. Other member-states, including countries like Germany and Austria with much longer histories of immigration from central and northeastern Europe, chose not to do that. Why, exactly, should the European Union change itself because of the failures of a member-state in administering policy domestically? Wed, 18 Sep 2019 17:27:42 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/09/daniel-hannan-cameron-maligns-brexiteers-because-he-misunderstands-them.html#IDComment1080940585 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/09/richard-ritchie-it-is-futile-to-ask-where-political-giants-of-old-would-have-stood-in-todays-chaos.html#IDComment1080940514 Canada, with a very similar constitutional history to the United Kingdom, has gone in rather different directions, going so far as to create its own written constitution to articulate its basic principles. That the United Kingdom has chosen not to have a written constitution cannot be properly blamed on the European Union. If anything, the codification of constitutional law draws from the legal models of continental Europe. Rather, blame has to be assigned to British politicians for their choices. Wed, 18 Sep 2019 17:23:47 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/09/richard-ritchie-it-is-futile-to-ask-where-political-giants-of-old-would-have-stood-in-todays-chaos.html#IDComment1080940514 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/08/jamie-arnell-the-conventional-wisdom-about-a-trade-deal-with-america-is-wrong-trump-will-want-a-fair-one-heres-why.html#IDComment1079364336 Has no one paid attention to how Trump has been threatening the United States' North American partners, of Mexico and (especially important for the UK) Canada? He has been all about short-term gains and long-term damage to smaller parties. Thu, 15 Aug 2019 02:39:12 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/08/jamie-arnell-the-conventional-wisdom-about-a-trade-deal-with-america-is-wrong-trump-will-want-a-fair-one-heres-why.html#IDComment1079364336 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2019/06/conservatism-is-better-than-liberalism-and-putin-much-much-worse-than-either.html#IDComment1076383405 The Union never was a free trade organization; from the very start, the proto-EEC was position as the seed of an "ever-closer union", as the Treaty of Rome clearly said in its preamble. Is this a matter of people being intentionally blind? Sun, 30 Jun 2019 14:03:06 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2019/06/conservatism-is-better-than-liberalism-and-putin-much-much-worse-than-either.html#IDComment1076383405 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/02/henry-hill-new-report-says-scottish-independence-negotiations-will-be-tougher-than-brexit.html#IDComment1069684982 "The Scottish Government has been pushing to curb councils’ autonomy by holding down council tax and making up the shortfall with central funding which they control." Why is this a bad thing? If local councils cannot afford to provide services, shouldn't a higher level of government step in? Thu, 28 Feb 2019 15:58:51 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/02/henry-hill-new-report-says-scottish-independence-negotiations-will-be-tougher-than-brexit.html#IDComment1069684982 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/02/alex-morton-if-brexit-is-impossible-what-is-the-point-of-politics.html#IDComment1069159788 No one had thought that the United Kingdom would do such a self-destructive thing that, among other things, undermined Good Friday. The United Kingdom has chosen to leave the EU, to put up a border between all its territories of those of the EU. This border will extend to Ireland as a matter of course. Fri, 8 Feb 2019 04:37:03 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/02/alex-morton-if-brexit-is-impossible-what-is-the-point-of-politics.html#IDComment1069159788 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/01/richard-kemp-the-backstops-not-the-only-danger-in-mays-deal-its-defence-and-security-plans-will-undermine-nato.html#IDComment1068837124 The claim that an integrated EU military--if such was to come about--would necessarily lead to a weakening of NATO needs explanation. Why is this the case? I would frankly think that, given the funding issues of individual NATO member-states in Europe, an EU military force able to hold its weight would strengthen NATO. Sun, 27 Jan 2019 10:45:24 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/01/richard-kemp-the-backstops-not-the-only-danger-in-mays-deal-its-defence-and-security-plans-will-undermine-nato.html#IDComment1068837124 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2019/01/watch-francois-tears-up-letter-from-airbus-ceo-live-on-air.html#IDComment1068789498 What foolishness. Fri, 25 Jan 2019 14:59:25 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2019/01/watch-francois-tears-up-letter-from-airbus-ceo-live-on-air.html#IDComment1068789498 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/01/garvan-walshe-the-defeat-of-mays-deal-was-a-consequence-of-half-a-decade-of-negotiation-failure.html#IDComment1068554970 "Malignant"? Fri, 18 Jan 2019 02:46:56 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2019/01/garvan-walshe-the-defeat-of-mays-deal-was-a-consequence-of-half-a-decade-of-negotiation-failure.html#IDComment1068554970 https://www.conservativehome.com/international/2019/01/ben-roback-three-weeks-into-a-record-shutdown-and-no-sign-of-a-compromise.html#IDComment1068554917 " That is already gravely distorting elections." If you say that Hispanics are illegals, that's how you might get that number. That would be fundamentally wrong, morally and legally, but that is the only way you can even pretend to have nearly a tenth of the American population be undocumented migrants. Fri, 18 Jan 2019 02:44:07 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/international/2019/01/ben-roback-three-weeks-into-a-record-shutdown-and-no-sign-of-a-compromise.html#IDComment1068554917 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/01/richard-ritchie-brexit-four-great-commons-debates-that-show-how-we-got-here-and-whats-at-stake.html#IDComment1067846573 The early European Community always had a federalist potential. It was there, plain and clear, in the Treaty of Rome, even. Mon, 7 Jan 2019 05:21:35 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/01/richard-ritchie-brexit-four-great-commons-debates-that-show-how-we-got-here-and-whats-at-stake.html#IDComment1067846573 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067741013 Why would Canada need an intermediary? We're quite capable of engaging directly with the European Union, thanks; indeed, CETA will make direct contacts all the more valuable. Wed, 2 Jan 2019 12:20:33 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067741013 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067732267 Why wouldn't they still sell to the United Kingdom? They just might not manufacture anything in the United Kingdom. Wed, 2 Jan 2019 03:33:31 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067732267 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067732262 "How do those integrated supply chains work for BMW, with its plants in Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Brazil and the USA?" Supply chains that have been planned to take account of customs and other barriers encounter altogether different challenges from supply chains that have these barriers introduced. Wed, 2 Jan 2019 03:33:02 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067732262 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067732245 "I am sure the good people of Bavaria will agree with that wholeheartedly." Why would they change their stated preferences? Wed, 2 Jan 2019 03:32:10 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067732245 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067695198 People have been saying that for years. Why would now be different? Would German industry take a hit in a no deal scenario? Yes. Taking that hit would be preferable to the hit that would come about via a bad deal that undid the single market. German industry depends on the integrated transnational supply chains that the single market, administered by the EU, creates. Taking the EU-28 to the EU-27 would do much less harm to this overall project. Mon, 31 Dec 2018 09:20:06 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/12/shanker-a-singham-brexit-and-a-new-strategy-for-a-new-year.html#IDComment1067695198 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2018/12/watch-ici-londres-leavers-should-boycott-any-second-referendum.html#IDComment1067460023 What a shame that some of the Brexiteers who claimed to have wanted a vote don't want one when the result might not be convenient for them. Thu, 20 Dec 2018 19:41:37 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2018/12/watch-ici-londres-leavers-should-boycott-any-second-referendum.html#IDComment1067460023 https://www.conservativehome.com/book-reviews/2018/12/how-dublin-ran-rings-round-may-on-brexit-and-the-northern-ireland-border.html#IDComment1067379264 Why is it an alarm bell? Mon, 17 Dec 2018 07:15:14 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/book-reviews/2018/12/how-dublin-ran-rings-round-may-on-brexit-and-the-northern-ireland-border.html#IDComment1067379264