EU failure to blame for Brexit, Barnier admits in staggering climb down

 The former European Commissioner said "there are of course lessons to be learned from Brexit" ...

 

Michael Curzon   Daily Express

2 December 2021

© PA Michel Barnier

The former European Commissioner said "there are of course lessons to be learned from Brexit" and insisted that it would be wrong to dismiss Britain's decision to leave the EU simply as an act of "populism". Instead, he acknowledged that Britons felt "abandoned" by the EU and were concerned, as citizens of other European nations are concerned, by EU-related issues, including uncontrolled immigration.

Talking to French journalist Jean-Sébastien Ferjou for Atlantico, Mr Barnier said that by voting for Brexit, Britons expressed a "popular feeling".

He said: "It is a feeling of abandonment, of not being protected enough by Europe, of no longer having a future, no more proper public services, no more factories for young people, or of being subjected to uncontrolled immigration.

"These British concerns exist elsewhere in Europe and they exist in France."

He added that "we must understand them, listen to them and respond to them".

© Getty Barnier

Mr Barnier is running to be elected the next President of France.

He said that his understanding of what led to Brexit will help him to lead France and to prevent a future 'Frexit'.

Mr Barnier never goes so far as to suggest Britain was right to leave the EU, the subtitle of his new book on Brexit reading "The Grand Illusion".

While Mr Barnier identifies as a European, he insisted that he is first and foremost a French "patriot".

He added that a range of issues - including immigration policy, national security and economic recoveries - should be dealt with on a national, rather than a European level.

He said: "There are, of course, issues that we must deal with ourselves because no one will come and deal with them for us."

But others should be dealt with cooperatively in order to prevent France from being "dominated and subcontracted to the Americans and the Chinese".

Despite his close ties to the EU, Mr Barnier has argued in his presidential election campaign that certain powers should be handed back from Brussels to Paris.

© Express Michel Barnier: a profile

In September, he told The Guardian: "[A] recalibration between the national and the European levels is what I want to do in France."

Talking to Mr Ferjou, he also noted that current President Emmanuel Macron has not led France in the "right way".

He was particularly critical of the manner in which Mr Macron has pursued his international relations, appearing as though he was "giving lessons" to other world leaders.

Instead, and in order to prevent anti-EU sentiment from growing in France, Mr Barnier said "we need to regain the link of trust with the other countries".

He said: "This will be my strategy, as it was to build unity among the 27 for Brexit [as the EU's chief Brexit negotiator]."

Additional reporting Maria Ortega.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/eu-failure-to-blame-for-brexit-barnier-admits-in-staggering-climb-down/ar-AARmdvX

UK economy 'will grow faster than the EU over next two years'

 UK economy will grow faster than the EU in 2021 and 2022, says leading economic organisation the OECD as it issues a stark global warning on threat posed by the Omicron Covid variant

• UK set to enjoy fastest economic growth of world's seven most advanced nations
• OECD has forecast UK economy will also grow faster than EU's in 2021 and 2022
• But organisation has also issued a global warning on threat posed by Omicron 

By JACK MAIDMENT, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 15:15 GMT, 1 December 2021 | UPDATED: 15:23 GMT, 1 December 2021

The numbers mean the UK is expected to enjoy the fastest economic growth of any of the world's seven most advanced economies

The UK economy is set to grow at a faster rate than the EU's over the next two years, a major international organisation has forecast. 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has predicted the UK economy will grow by 6.9 per cent in 2021 and then 4.7 per cent in 2022. 

That is higher than the 5.2 per cent in 2021 and 4.3 per cent in 2022 which has been forecast for the Eurozone. 

The numbers also mean the UK is expected to enjoy the fastest growth of any of the world's seven most advanced economies. 

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are likely to welcome the strong numbers as Britain continues its recovery from the Covid crisis. 

But the OECD has also issued a stark global warning on the threat posed to the worldwide economy by the new Omicron coronavirus variant. 

The OECD's predictions suggest the UK economy is on course to outpace its G7 rivals both this year and next year. 

The 2021 forecast marks an upgrade from the 6.7 per cent predicted in September, and, while the 2022 outlook is downgraded from the 5.2 per cent previously pencilled in, it would still see the UK lead the G7 pack.

However, the OECD has warned that Britain could suffer a setback if supply and worker shortages do not ease.

The OECD's chief economist, Laurence Boone, today warned the emergence of the Omicron variant could jeopardise the global economic recovery. 

Presenting the OECD's latest report, she said: 'We are concerned that the new variant of the virus, the Omicron strain, is further adding to the already high levels of uncertainty and risks, and that could be a threat to the recovery.'

The OECD lowered its global growth outlook in 2021 to 5.6 per cent from 5.7 per cent and kept it unchanged at 4.5 per cent for 2022 - although the report was compiled before the variant emerged.

The Paris-based group cited key risks to both the UK and global economy from surging inflation, supply chain bottlenecks and interest rate increases.

On the UK, it said: 'A prolonged period of acute supply and labour shortages could slow down the recovery by forcing firms into a more permanent reduction in their operating capacity.'

It added that household and business spending could be hampered by bigger-than-expected price increases for goods and energy, while inflation worries could lead to an early rise in rates.

'A worsening trade relationship with the European Union could also weigh on the economic outlook in the medium term,' it added.

But it said there could be a boost to the UK outlook if workers fill vacancies at a faster pace following the end of the furlough support scheme, helping ease some of the labour shortages.

The OECD said it is 'cautiously optimistic' over the global picture, though it said 'striking imbalances' have emerged.

Ms Boone said: 'Governments acted swiftly and effectively during the height of the crisis to support people and businesses. But the job is not finished.

'The lack of global co-ordination on vaccine deployment is putting all of us at risk.'

She added: 'The harshest scenario is that pockets of low vaccination end up as breeding grounds for deadlier strains of the virus, which go on to damage lives and livelihoods.'

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China's 'economic warfare' against Australia

 Aukus deal: US accuses China of 'economic warfare' against Australia

US President Joe Biden's top Pacific envoy on Tuesday accused China of trying to "drive Australia to its knees" through a barrage of sanctions that amounted to "economic warfare".

France 24   Issued on: 01/12/2021 - 05:18

Kurt Campbell at the China Development Forum in Beijing, China, on March 23, 2019. Campbell, US President Joe Biden's top Pacific envoy, accused China on Tuesday of using strong-arm tactics to "drive Australia to its knees". © Thomas Peter, Reuters (file photo)

In remarks to the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell lampooned Beijing for strong-arm tactics.

Painting China as increasingly bellicose and determined to impose its will overseas, Campbell said Beijing had engaged in "really dramatic economic warfare -- directed against Australia".

Over the last two years, China has introduced a raft of punitive sanctions on Australian goods in a fierce political dispute that has frozen ministerial contacts and plunged relations into the most serious crisis since Tiananmen.

"China's preference would have been to break Australia. To drive Australia to its knees," said Campbell, who currently serves as the White House Indo-Pacific coordinator.

China has been angered at Australia's willingness to legislate against overseas influence operations, to bar Huawei from 5G contracts and to call for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

Australian barley, coal, copper ores, cotton, hay, logs, rock lobsters, sugar, wine, beef, citrus fruit, grains, table grapes, dairy products and infant formula have all been subject to Chinese sanctions.

The US envoy said that under President Xi Jinping, China has become "more risk acceptant, more assertive, more determined to basically take steps that other countries would view as coercive".

The Biden administration has embraced a policy of "strategic competition" with China -- acknowledging rivalry between the two powers but maintaining ties so conflicts do not spiral out of hand.

Nuclear-powered submarines 

Biden recently shocked many in the region by agreeing to share sensitive nuclear-powered submarine technology with Canberra, allowing Australia to dramatically increase its military deterrence.

Campbell indicated the move -- part of a broader three-way AUKUS agreement that includes the United Kingdom -- would bind the three allies for generations.

"When we look back on the Biden administration - I believe it will be among the most significant things that we accomplish. And I think in 20 years it will be taken as a given that our sailors sail together, our submarines port in Australia."

Canberra and London's economic ties with a rapidly growing China had put the alliance in doubt, Campbell admitted.

"Seven or eight years ago, if you asked the countries that were most likely to realign strategically and kind of rethink its options... near the top of that list would probably be both Great Britain and Australia," he said.

Campbell also revealed that other Pacific allies would likely take part in cyber or other non-submarine aspects of the AUKUS agreement.

"Many close allies have come to us, in the immediate aftermath and said, can we participate? Can we engage?

"It is to the credit of Australia and Great Britain, that they insisted, yes, this is not a closed architecture."

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China trying to become a 'new colonial power' with Barbados power grab

 China is on its way to becoming 'a new colonial power' by investing money into countries such as Barbados

Alessandro Schiavone   1 December2021    Daily Express

© LBC Damian Green

Tory MP Damian Green warned that China is on its way to becoming 'a new colonial power' by investing money into countries such as Barbados. The island, which is in the Lesser Antilles and former British colony which has been independent since 1966, officially became a republic after the removal of Queen Elizabeth as its head of state on Monday. Although Barbados remains a member of the Commonwealth, the decision to become a republic has been largely influenced by China, with the influential Eastern Asian country expected to have the most potent military in the world by 2050.

Tory MP told Iain Dale on LBC that China could use its financial influence to turn into a powerful, new colonial power.

He said: "There is a lot of affection, particularly for the Queen around the Commonwealth, not just in this country.

"And for all the royal turbulence, that we've seen over the past 18 months or so, I detect no surge of republican sentiment in this country.

"But I worry even more and I think you're right to bring up the Chinese money.

"Because there is in a sense a much more serious global play going on here which is the Chinese attempting, using money influence and pulling countries into debts to effectively become a new colonial power around the world.

"And I think if that's allowed to take hold, that will be a real threat to democracies of many of the Commonwealth countries."

But Barbados is not the sole member of the Commonwealth that China are looking to develop military and diplomatic links with.

Several Commonwealth countries receive regular Chinese military training. These include Guyana, Cameroon and Rwanda.

Mr Green spoke of the Commonwealth's importance: "You have to be a democracy to qualify for the Commonwealth and there are countries that go in and out of the Commonwealth on the basis of what kind of Government they have.

"It's good for the countries themselves to remain democracies. We should cling onto the Commonwealth and try and make it as useful as possible for as many Member States as possible.

"We often have an odd view of the Commonwealth in this country because it does get bound up. But actually, as a modern collection, a contemporary collection of democracy, that's a hugely important body to have in and around the globe."

Barbados' decision to become a republic has been met with criticism among some Barbadians themselves. They are concerned that the new independence from the Crown is a double-edged sword as China look to expand its influence in the Caribbean in future.

© EXPRESS China news

China has reportedly pumped more than £400million into the country's economy to gentrify the island.

New homes, hotels and infrastructures were all built.

Some of the most historic colonial empires include Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and France.

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