I digress … thoughts on fish & the environment
I am reminded how deeply unfashionable some of my ideas are. For example, if you want to understand the position of governments on an issue you can speak to them, or even easier, read what they write. I find Peter Ludlow’s EuroCcomment briefing subscription essential reading. Read alongside the European Council Conclusions it provides a … Read more
On 10 July, the European Commission published the Report ‘Active Subsidiarity: A new way of working’. The European Commission does a lot. Arguably too much. And, on top of too much, new demands from security, defence and migration are being added. The resources are not going up. They are going down. Something has to give. … Read more
Back in the late 1990’s, the first question the MEPs I worked for asked the Commission lead official was “What do you want me to re-table that you lost in inter-service consultation” It is a smart thing to do. You got to strengthen a proposal that had likely been neutered by other Directorate-Generals or … Read more
When I was at law school, I spent the long vacations working in a law firm. I landed up working on criminal defence teams. The clients varied, from a person accused of importing a few tonnes of cannabis to armed robbery, and everything in between. I found this experience formative for my switch to lobbying. … Read more