Category:UK


 * Brexit
 * Oceania (map), George Orwell, "1984" (1949).

2016

 * Boris Johnson says Assad must go if Syrians' suffering is to end - The Guardian, July 19, 2019

Economy

 * BBC: 80 % of economy is service sector. Out of 5 known post-brexit EU trade models, Norway and Switzerland models are largely similar to present (free movement and contribution to EU budget required); others (Canada, Turkey) do not cover services. Singapore and Hong Kong models have no tariffs and probably too open for UK  (and perhaps not sufficient for financial services)
 * Brussels rejects Boris Johnson 'pipe dream' over single market access, The Guardian, June 27, 2016

More on Boris Johnson Brexit 'pipe dream'. Pound was around 1.47 to dollar before the Brexit; 1.21 on October 11, 2016, an 18 % drop. (Bigger drop than several months after the US 9/11 )

Immigration, NHS

 * BBC fact checker shows that claims were exaggerated or taken back.

EU

 * Europejskie superpaństwo: 'A strong Europe in the world of uncertainties', by Jean-Marc Ayrault and Frank-Walter Steinmeier,  published by  tvp.info, 27. 06. 2016
 * page number 4 appears twice.

After Brexit referendum

 * Thousands at 'March for Europe' Brexit protest, BBC, July 2, 2016
 * With well conducted brief video interview with organizer Keiran MacDermott on top


 * UK voted for Brexit – but is there a way back?, THe Guardian, 29 June, 2016
 * ''Few UK politicians – fearful of challenging the verdict of an already angry electorate – will articulate such an argument [for second referendum] in public. But Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, has boldly made the case for a second referendum or another general election on the negotiated terms of exit. Robin Butler, the former head of the civil service, has suggested the same.


 * Parliament Early day motion 243, "Referendum On Agreeing The Terms Of The UK-EU Exit Package Or On The UK Remaining In The EU". At present, 5 MP supported; may or may not be debated.
 * Petition 'EU Referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum', 4,100,590 signatures as of July 2, 2016.
 * The UK Government responded (along the predictable lines) and deferred decision on debate.

(Parliament vote made to happen by judiciary, with no changes as a result; Brexit formally initiated...)

'Theresa May seeks general election' -BBC, Apr. 18, 2017.

December 2018

 * Brexit full legal advice on legal effects on Ireland/Northern Ireland is published - BBC, full document‎, December 5, 2018
 * Brexit: Amber Rudd says Plan B options plausible -BBC, December 8, 2018

August-October, 2019
At full steam to over the cliff under Boris Johnson; with Corbyn rooting for no-confidence vote, perhaps with himself as caretaker, to quite lukewarm (at best) response.

With all this, Johnson gears up and weeps on Merkel shoulder for a deal; she is quite compassionate. But hopes are dashed by proper French, "Renegotiation of the terms currently proposed by the British is not an option that exists, and that has always been made clear by [EU] President Tusk." --Resup (talk) 08:13, 22 August 2019 (UTC)


 * Dutch plan big Brexit beach party - RTE, August 20, 2019
 * ''"It will be a nice goodbye to a good friend who is going on an exciting adventure, but is perhaps not too bright," Mr Toekook told the Dutch news agency ANP.
 * ''The party will involve "sitting in a deck chair with Dutch chips, French wine and German beer, watching Britain as it closes itself off."
 * (In response): The Europeans always knew we Brits were too swashbuckling for Brussels - Julie Burchill, The Telegraph, August 25, 2019
 * No-deal Brexit: an unforgivable act of vandalism by the Conservative Party -Tony Blair, The Times, August 24, 2019
 * ''Johnson threatens Europe with no-deal if they don’t back down. Sure, it hurts them, especially the Irish. But it hurts us much more, and Northern Ireland severely.
 * ''For the 27 other EU members, scrapping the backstop yet keeping an open border wrecks the essential principle of the single market and customs union. They will never pay that price and they won’t sell the Irish out.
 * ''No-deal Brexit is an act of unforgivable political and constitutional vandalism. What baffles me is why the Conservative Party is willing to take the risk of owning it.
 * Gordon Brown calls on MPs to order no-deal Brexit inquiry - The Guardian, August 26, 2019
 * ''“And that should be before the House of Commons before we ever go ahead. That would be a sensible way forward.”
 * "Brexit: Opposition MPs agree strategy to block no deal" - BBC, August 27, 2019
 * Noted: Jo Swinson, after discussing application to EU to delay Brexit (she is hoping for another popular vote on Brexit during the delay) or else, having general elections with Brexit (she hopes) disallowed before elections are completed, continues to say that if all that fails, the last remaining option is to revoke article 50 (invoking article 50 started the clock to Brexit). ---Resup (talk) 18:50, 27 August 2019 (UTC)
 * Readers’ poll: is a no-deal Brexit better than remaining in the EU? - The Times, August 18, 2019
 * 77 % No. Easily accessible graphics is on Twitter here --Resup (talk) 21:05, 27 August 2019 (UTC)
 * Government asks Queen to suspend Parliament - BBC, August 28, 2019
 * Parliament suspension sparks furious backlash - BBC, August 28, 2019
 * Brexit: Tory MPs warned not to rebel against government -BBC, September 1, 2019
 * "Any Conservative MP who does this will have the whip withdrawn and will not stand as Conservative candidates in an election." 
 * ''Rebelling will be classed as voting against the government or abstaining.
 * Rory Stewart: And me too I hope.
 * Brexit: No 10 'considering' election amid no-deal battle with MPs - BBC, September 2, 2019
 * Tony Blair: Election before Brexit is 'an elephant trap' - BBC, September 2, 2019
 * Brexit: 'Election in October' if MPs block no deal- BBC, September 2, 2019
 * BBC: ''The government is expected to table a motion to hold a general election on 14 October if it is defeated by MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit on Tuesday.
 * BoJo: "There are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay"
 * European Union (Withdrawal): Motion submitted under Standing Order No. 24, September 3, 2019
 * The motion to take control of the House of Commons agenda has been passed by MPs. Ayes - 328.Nos - 301
 * PM confirms he will table a motion calling for an election. "The leader of the opposition has been begging for an election for two years," says the PM. "I don't want an election but if MPs vote tomorrow to compel another pointless delay to Brexit then that would be the only way to resolve this." He confirms that his party will be tabling a motion for a general election
 * The European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 6) Bill 2019 Hilary Benn MP bill, published September 2, 2019

(18:49 UTC) The Bill heads to the House of Lords ---Resup (talk) 18:57, 4 September 2019 (UTC)
 * And not enough House votes for Boris' snap reelection.
 * But, there is Netanyahu visiting, who has for his ...


 * Tory peers accused of wrecking tactics over bill to delay Brexit - The Guardian, September 4, 2019
 * ''Brexit-backing Tory peers have tabled more than 100 amendments to the motion tabled by Labour’s Hilary Benn should the bill pass its Commons stage on Wednesday.

Boris Johnson tries but fails to blow a shofar, after asking for an authorization, September 13, 2019

Brexit: "Russia did it"

 * General election 2019: The mystery of the Russia report - BBC, November 10, 2019
 * ''The committee took evidence from a number of independent experts and also from the secret intelligence agencies, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
 * ''Some of those external experts are well known figures. Bill Browder is a former investor in Russia who became an arch-critic of the Kremlin and campaigns for sanctions on Russian individuals in the form of the Magnitsky Act (named after his former lawyer who died in jail in Moscow).
 * ''Another witness is understood to be Chris Steele, the former MI6 officer behind the famous dossier on US President Donald Trump. Another is journalist Edward Lucas.
 * ''These and other observers are understood to have been highly critical of the UK's openness to Russian influence - in particular the way in which Russian money had compromised first the financial system in London and then bled over into politics.
 * ''There have been questions about some donors to political parties and the Sunday Times suggests that nine who gave to the Conservative Party could be named in the report (although this may be more likely in a classified annex rather than the public report).
 * ''There may also have been evidence about specific relationships with Russians. For instance Boris Johnson as foreign secretary went to a party at an Italian villa hosted by Evgeny Lebedev, who runs the Evening Standard and whose father is a former KGB officer.

Iraq inquiry

 * Iraq inquiry documents, published 6 July 2016.
 * Blair response, on embedded video in "Tony Blair says world is better as a result of Iraq War", BBC, 7 July 2016, and full response

Events
"Litvinenko expert took his own life" - The Times, November 25 2016

Post-Skripal
See also Integrity Initiative
 * End the UK’s Role as a “Safe Haven for Corrupt Wealth” -Transparency.org, 14 March, 2018
 * ''Transparency International has identified £4.4 billion worth of UK properties bought with suspicious wealth and more than a fifth of these properties were purchased by Russian individuals. Meanwhile, a quarter of all Tier 1 investment visas granted by the UK between 2008 and 2015, a period in which almost no checks were carried out on source of wealth, were to Russians. This amounts to a minimum of £729 million invested by Russians at a time when there was little scrutiny over where this money came from. We are calling on the Government to urgently bring in legislation that would require overseas companies who buy UK property to reveal who their real owners are and use the new Unexplained Wealth Orders to better investigate the UK assets of corrupt individuals.
 * Transparency report (PDF) Russian Corruption and the UK. Transparency International UK’s submission of written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee
 * The UK is a top destination for money laundering. The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates that the level of illicit financial flows through the UK is well in excess of 90 billion GBP per year (4.6 % of the GDP in 2016, 2.619 trln USD; compare with 1.8 annual GDP growth). These large sums that come into the UK are often linked to Russian nationals, including associates of Putin. Whilst clearly not all wealthy Russians in the UK have grown rich by corruption, over the last decade or so, kleptrocrats from Russia have continued to launder unfathomably large sums through the UK – money that has likely been plundered from state coffers and solicited in bribes.

Curious sort of situation. Pre-Skripal, worked for all fat cats, -inflow of money lifting economy, property prices, while Russian fats getting a perceived safe-haven from Putin. After Skripal, suddenly stopped working--but not because an actual cat was killed. But that reversal is going some way towards helping Putin-who does not want rebels moneys flowing out? Related, Abramovich is out of investor visa renewal, got Israeli passport (allowing UK visits in particular), and suspended stadium rebuilding in London, to the tune of 1 bln pounds. Kind of mixed feelings. Probably, that wealth will not go into something good (as an alternative to something pointless, like billions for kicking a ball); it will just kind of evaporate, as modern moneys are unreal. --Resup (talk) 07:59, 8 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament - Russia - Published July 21, 2020

'Fusion Doctrine' & 'Contest' Counter Terrorist strategy

 * The NSCR includes a new national security doctrine, the Fusion Doctrine.


 * Sajid Javid unveils plans for MI5 to share information on 20,000 terror suspects with teachers, social workers and councils as he reveals 25 Islamist-linked plots have been foiled in past five years Daily Mail June 4, 2018

London Bridge attack, November 2019

 * London Bridge attack: What we know so far -BBC, Nov./Dec. 2019.
 * The attack began at 13:58 GMT on Friday (November 29, 2019) at Fishmongers' Hall, at the north end of London Bridge, where a conference on prisoner rehabilitation was taking place with Khan attending.
 * Mr Merritt (a Cambridge graduate, one of the two people killed) was a course coordinator at the conference
 * One man is seen walking away holding a large knife they had retrieved. British Transport Police said he was a plain clothes officer.
 * The people holding Khan down were moved (=dragged) away by police.
 * Khan was wearing a hoax explosive device, which the assistant commissioner said looked "very convincing". He was then shot (and killed, at close range, once the man holding him was dragged aside, judging by the video).

Jack Merritt

 * London Bridge attack: Victim Jack Merritt had 'lust for life'-BBC, November 30, 2019
 * A law and criminology graduate, Mr Merritt was a course coordinator for the University of Cambridge's prison rehabilitation programme.
 * The project, Learning Together, gives students and inmates the opportunity to study together, to help reduce re-offending - something Mr Merritt had a "deep commitment to", according to people who worked with him.
 * A vigil was held in Cambridge, where Mr Merritt was from, on Saturday. His friends, family and those who worked with him have been paying tribute

Female Cambridge ex-student

 * London Bridge: Woman killed was former Cambridge student -BBC, December 1, 2019

James Ford

 * London Bridge bystander who helped pin down attacker is convicted murderer on day release - The Independent, November 30, 2019
 * London Bridge attack: Prisoner who confronted terrorist is not a hero, say family of the woman he murdered - The Telegraph, November 30, 2019
 * ''James Ford, 42, was out on day release when he joined those who chased Khan out on to the street before he was pinned to the ground on Friday afternoon.
 * ''It is thought Ford rushed to the scene and tried to save the life of a female victim of Khan. Sources said his actions during the attack had probably saved lives.
 * ''Ford was jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years in 2004 for the ('motiveless') murder of Amanda Champion, who had a mental age of 15.
 * ''Police had no leads in the case until a Samaritans worker broke the organisation's strict confidentiality policy and revealed that Ford, a factory worker and amateur wrestler, had called and confessed: “I've killed a girl.”
 * ''In the month after murdering Amanda, Ford phoned the charity line 45 times, telling staff he was feeling suicidal. After he admitted his crime, the Samaritans worker – who was later forced out of his job – decided to go to police.

"Learning Together"

 * What is Learning Together?
 * An award info (2016-2017)

Military
Conventional distinctions between regular units special forces and intelligence operatives have become blurred with an increasing emphasis on merging commando and special forces units to work alongside "regular and irregular" proxy forces in 'grey zone' conflicts. Daily Express coverage:


 * Britain’s new off-the-books ‘ranger’ regiments will further undermine democracy and accountability - Joe Glenton, The Canary, March 21, 2021
 * The military: the year in review – war crimes, withdrawals and secrecy - Joe Glenton, The Canary, December 23, 2021
 * Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Mayor of London Defence & Security Lecture - BattleSpace, October 20, 2022
 * ...this magnificent thing we call the military instrument is much more than the crucial role we play to defend the nation and the rules-based system the City uses to continue to be the economic powerhouse which drives our prosperity. It is also a tool to help drive a broader national agenda.