Miscellany 16Jul2017

Spectator “Frexit? Stranger things have happened”: an excellent interim analysis of the French reaction to Brexit and the divergent pressures within French politics.  The public comments are also generally insightful, occasionally inciteful and once-or-twice spiteful…!  One of the comments identifies the German economy as an “unbalanced mercantile economic model” (meaning a rigged market that empowers the state ostensibly against rival states, but whose collateral damage normally includes the state’s own citizens).

Mercantilism?  Yes:

Out-Law: German banking industry online payment restrictions in violation of competition law, says regulator.  This supports the view that Germany operates an unbalance mercantile economic model.  This article reports that German rules prevent bank customers from using their bank identification data in non-bank payment systems, thereby creating a barrier to trade.  We’ve seen this sort of “abolish innovation” mentalty many times before, most notably Germany’s ban of taxi hailing service Über.

The Irish Post did a brief Q&A about the Ireland Act 1949, which blurs the definition of British citizenship in favour of the Irish citizen.  This demonstrates one reason - perhaps amongst many more - of just how complicated British law has been allowed to become, and how European law within British law has already had unexpected consequences… which no-body seems to have noticed until now.  On the face of it, the UK Parliament has discriminated in favour of Irishness, which is de facto racist and almost certainly illegal under some European law.  It would probably remain illegal under some European law for as long as either one of Ireland or UK were to remain in the current EU.

The Economist analyses the Italian solvency crisis and forecasts what sort of Euro-fudge might result.

The BBC reported that EU criticised Israel law forcing NGOs to reveal foreign funding.  It seems that the EU doesn’t like its taxpayers to know where their money is being used for political purposes of which the taxpayer might not approve.

The EU Observer reports a comment from privacy campaigner Max Schrems that the “Privacy Shield” - the replacement for the defunct “Safe Harbor” data agreement between EU & US - won’t survive.

Business leaders diverge on their plans about investing in Britain.  Siemens has realised that there’s no need to change anything just yet (if at all).  Meanwhile, a cosmetics business is moving some production to Germany… sounds like an irrational decision to me, triggered by short-term emotionalism rather than the hard, cash-based facts of trading internationally.

The BBC has taken some more vox pop about Brexit, this time about the nuanced views in Sunderland.