BARNIER SPEECH

Michel Barnier always seems to me to be a model of courtesy, clear thinking and logical deduction. How I wish we had on our side men or women of similar quality, but then if we did, we wouldn't have had Brexit because it just isn't a rational thing. Barnier has recently given a speech in Belgium which is printed in full on the EU website HERE.

THE ECONOMY - JUNE 2017

This week has been a bad one for the UK economy and contrasts starkly with the one across the Channel. The European economy is humming again (HERE). Eurozone factories are at a six year high (HERE) and Europeans are enjoying an export led boom (HERE) that we can only dream of. Just as we are leaving our economy is stuttering, mainly cause by Brexit while the EU is moving strongly ahead.

LONDON AND BREXIT

The new French Finance Minister (HERE) has said that Brexit is an opportunity for the Eurozone's financial sector and they will be pushing to ensure that the Euro clearing business is moved inside the EU and away from London. Michael Spencer, former Tory party treasurer, has described this as, "nothing more than a real nasty piece of economic nationalism and protectionism". (HERE). And it isn't just Euro clearing they're interested in, according to The Independent (HERE) they want to create an entire alternative financial market.