Politics Archives - Boscobel & Partners

Category: Politics

Time for a National Government? Lessons from 1931

It is an interesting question as to whether the formation of a National Government would help solve the current Brexit impasse. It has certainly worked in the past. In 1931 a National Government was formed to get us out of the Depression and overall it did a pretty good job. Britain recovered faster than any […]

Introducing Section 20 of the EU Withdrawal Act

Extending Article 50 is easier and more likely than some people let on. The Conservative party conference is going about as expected, with the Prime Minister reportedly booed at the Association chairman’s dinner; Boris Johnson giving a witty, tub-thumping speech which ended, incongruously, with a call for everyone to back Theresa May; and every Cabinet […]

Making the City work for women…and men

The City and business are in a stew over women. Although it is in part a PR issue, it goes deeper than that and as a working mother with two young daughters my personal view is much of the debate is not grounded in reality. Instead it is dominated by a handful of high profile […]

Norway then Canada, a new Brexit strategy

I have published a short book on the Amazon platform, called Norway then Canada, a new strategy to avoid a Brexit smash. Lord Owen, the former Labour foreign secretary, has kindly written a Forward. I wrote it over the summer, when the weather was dodgy in the Isle of Wight. I advocate that Britain should […]

Falling back on the EEA, or Thucydides

Two weeks ago, ahead of the Chequers summit, we warned that it would be a miracle if one or more Cabinet ministers did not resign. And so it has proved. The subsequent Parliamentary chaos, we did not predict. The conduct of all sides in the Brexit process now reminds me of a passage from […]

Common sense has been suspended in Westminster and volatility has returned to the betting market

We have not sent any Boscobel bulletins recently, as the firm has been flat out on the campaign to extend the runway at Heathrow, instead of building a 3rd Runway. We won the support of most business commentators and of numerous MPs because the concept is cheaper, quicker, quieter and simpler to construct. It has […]

It is official – Brexit squabbling is damaging the economy

The British economy is slowing. There. I have said it. After repeatedly writing upbeat pieces for CapX to counter the doom and gloom mongers in the last two years, the facts are changing and so is my mind. I would go further and say that the weakness of the economy, much of it Brexit-related, is […]

How bad will the local elections be for the Conservatives?

An interesting poll of London voters has been published, slightly changing the working assumptions about the Local Elections next Thursday, May 3rd. The results could be the most significant for a local election since 1990, in which a rout in the capital and other major cities prepared the way for Margaret Thatcher being removed from […]

It is 1956 and all that again in Westminster

The Establishment may be having a wobble, but things could be much worse It hasn’t been this bad since the Suez Crisis. That is what some are saying in Westminster. What we still call the Establishment is divided and demoralised, awaiting “clarity” on Brexit. Britain is arguably involved in another international escapade which is being […]

Tweaking MiFID II post-Brexit

Today signals the deadline for MiFID II compliance, new regulation that has been causing a sense of disquiet in some areas of the City, especially amongst advisers to and investors in smaller companies below the FTSE 250. A question worth asking is will Brexit allow some of the anticipated consequences of MiFID II to be […]