BREXIT
We have done various things on Brexit, including a transnational project for the Green European Foundation, published a gas, and responded to the consultation on environmental principles and governance. Plus, one of our core group members, Victor Anderson co-authored a briefing for the Repeal Bill Alliance in July 2018. In the summer of 2020 we published a report, Another Brexit is Possible. For details of these please see below.
Another Brexit is possible
Strategy for Brexit in the era of COVID-19 and climate chaos:
Build resilience and security through greater national self-sufficiency together with global cooperation
By Rupert Read and Emma Dawnay, June 2020
(Purchase hardcopy via Lulu)
We have formally left the EU, but as yet our future relationships in the world at the end of the transition period are undecided. There are widely differing paths we could follow: we could align ourselves closely with the USA; we could remain closely aligned with the EU; we could become an ultra-competitive, low-tax, low-regulation nation; or we could aim to build national resilience through more self-sufficiency whilst at the same time cooperating globally to better prepare us for the global challenges ahead.
This report considers that the option of remaining in close alignment with the EU is too politically difficult to achieve. Having made this assumption, it argues that the only viable option is the final one: building national resilience through more localisation combined with deeper global cooperation. This option, of building national resilience through more localisation is likely to resonate widely across the political spectrum whilst addressing many of the issues behind the Brexit vote.
The report makes recommendations as to how the UK could: promote resilience through localisation; build a robust economy that safeguards our environment, food supplies, and health both now and in the future, and work with others to build global cooperation to face future challenges. It is available to download here.
Strategy for Brexit in the era of COVID-19 and climate chaos:
Build resilience and security through greater national self-sufficiency together with global cooperation
By Rupert Read and Emma Dawnay, June 2020
(Purchase hardcopy via Lulu)
We have formally left the EU, but as yet our future relationships in the world at the end of the transition period are undecided. There are widely differing paths we could follow: we could align ourselves closely with the USA; we could remain closely aligned with the EU; we could become an ultra-competitive, low-tax, low-regulation nation; or we could aim to build national resilience through more self-sufficiency whilst at the same time cooperating globally to better prepare us for the global challenges ahead.
This report considers that the option of remaining in close alignment with the EU is too politically difficult to achieve. Having made this assumption, it argues that the only viable option is the final one: building national resilience through more localisation combined with deeper global cooperation. This option, of building national resilience through more localisation is likely to resonate widely across the political spectrum whilst addressing many of the issues behind the Brexit vote.
The report makes recommendations as to how the UK could: promote resilience through localisation; build a robust economy that safeguards our environment, food supplies, and health both now and in the future, and work with others to build global cooperation to face future challenges. It is available to download here.
The potential impact of Brexit on the prospects for a Green transition in Europe
In 2017 Green House coordinated a transnational project for the Green European Foundation entitled . Six countries took part – France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and the UK. In each country, a public discussion event was held with a particular focus on the implications of Brexit for that country; the events were linked by a common framework of questions and by the participation of some expert contributors at more than one event. The concluding conference was held in London on 11 November, and brought together representatives from the all the participating countries and organisations in the search for a better understanding of the challenges posed both to the UK and to Europe. Speakers at the concluding conference included Norman Baker, Molly Scott Cato, Terry Reintke, Jean Lambert, and Caroline Lucas, as well as politicians and experts from all the other countries involved. A report, videos and photographs can be viewed here.
An article by Ray Cunningham, the co-ordinator of the project, on the view of Brexit from the UK, one year on from the referendum was published by the Green European Journal, in July 2017. In it he draws comparisons between a Brexit Britain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire just before the first World War. To read the article click here.
A final report on the project was published in January 2018 by the Green European Foundation and can be downloaded here.
In 2017 Green House coordinated a transnational project for the Green European Foundation entitled . Six countries took part – France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and the UK. In each country, a public discussion event was held with a particular focus on the implications of Brexit for that country; the events were linked by a common framework of questions and by the participation of some expert contributors at more than one event. The concluding conference was held in London on 11 November, and brought together representatives from the all the participating countries and organisations in the search for a better understanding of the challenges posed both to the UK and to Europe. Speakers at the concluding conference included Norman Baker, Molly Scott Cato, Terry Reintke, Jean Lambert, and Caroline Lucas, as well as politicians and experts from all the other countries involved. A report, videos and photographs can be viewed here.
An article by Ray Cunningham, the co-ordinator of the project, on the view of Brexit from the UK, one year on from the referendum was published by the Green European Journal, in July 2017. In it he draws comparisons between a Brexit Britain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire just before the first World War. To read the article click here.
A final report on the project was published in January 2018 by the Green European Foundation and can be downloaded here.
Brexit: Alternative White Paper
Following the passing of the EU Withdrawal Bill, Green House core group member Victor Anderson co-authored this document for the Repeal Bill Alliance, an alliance of civil society organisations, about what the Brexit landscape looked like in July 2018, and what issues it raises for charities and campaign groups.
Following the passing of the EU Withdrawal Bill, Green House core group member Victor Anderson co-authored this document for the Repeal Bill Alliance, an alliance of civil society organisations, about what the Brexit landscape looked like in July 2018, and what issues it raises for charities and campaign groups.
Environmental Principles and governance after EU Exit
Environmental protection is one of the many areas of life that will change if Brexit goes ahead. The Government has promised a new ‘Environment Watchdog’, and there will be a new Environment Bill to establish it and address a few other issues at the same time.
The need for a watchdog comes from there no longer being the European Commission and European Court of Justice in a position to ensure that environmental laws are enforced in the UK. Without their past intervention, UK beaches and air quality would be far worse than they are today. Something is needed to replace the EU’s role after Brexit.
There is also a problem that, although environmental laws derived from EU membership will be transferred into UK law, the UK legal system doesn’t really do “principles”. So what happens to the EU’s environmental principles, such as the precautionary principle and “polluter pays”, which currently influence the drawing up of new EU law? There are also going to be problems resulting from the UK excluding itself from EU initiatives such as “circular economy”, dealing with waste and the use of resources.
The Government has published its proposals. They are severely limited in a series of important ways. This has led to many organisations sending in critical responses to the Government’s consultation document. The response from Green House, submitted in July 2018, can be downloaded here.
Points we made include –
Environmental protection is one of the many areas of life that will change if Brexit goes ahead. The Government has promised a new ‘Environment Watchdog’, and there will be a new Environment Bill to establish it and address a few other issues at the same time.
The need for a watchdog comes from there no longer being the European Commission and European Court of Justice in a position to ensure that environmental laws are enforced in the UK. Without their past intervention, UK beaches and air quality would be far worse than they are today. Something is needed to replace the EU’s role after Brexit.
There is also a problem that, although environmental laws derived from EU membership will be transferred into UK law, the UK legal system doesn’t really do “principles”. So what happens to the EU’s environmental principles, such as the precautionary principle and “polluter pays”, which currently influence the drawing up of new EU law? There are also going to be problems resulting from the UK excluding itself from EU initiatives such as “circular economy”, dealing with waste and the use of resources.
The Government has published its proposals. They are severely limited in a series of important ways. This has led to many organisations sending in critical responses to the Government’s consultation document. The response from Green House, submitted in July 2018, can be downloaded here.
Points we made include –
- The proposed scope of the watchdog is strictly “environmental” in a narrow sense, which in terms of Whitehall means keeping it within the boundaries of Defra and not treading on the territory of other government departments or the Committee on Climate Change. Therefore it won’t be involved in the planning system (that’s DCLG) or even in climate! It goes without saying that they want to keep it out of trade, taxation, and other areas of economic policy.
- The new “watchdog” will not necessarily have the power to take public bodies to court. The Government consultation document has very weak wording on this aspect.
- The Government suggest that the environmental principles the watchdog would uphold would be merely on the basis that the Government should “have regard to” them, rather than stronger wording such as “act in accordance with”.
- The principles may only be given the status of items in a National Policy Statement, which would be easy for the Government to change. It is important to include the principles in the wording of the Bill itself, so that they become part of an Act of Parliament. The next stage is likely to be the publication, due before the end of 2018, of a Draft Environmental Principles and Governance Bill for “pre-legislative scrutiny” by Parliament, before introducing the actual Bill some time next year.