“Neoconservatives, who dominated the administration of US President George W. Bush, may be demonized by the left for their support of the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, Porter admitted. But, he argued, their hyper-interventionist position is not unacceptable among leftists who “fancy themselves to be national security analysts,” and “who are interested in American power in the world.” And, to many observers, Hillary Clinton is clearly one of these people.”

With the Clinton candidacy in the USA and issue of the neocon stable seeking to take control of both the Tory and Labour parties in Britain, the neoconservatism, the infection that just won’t go away, still breathes.

Sputnik

2nd July, 2016

Arch neoconservative Republican pundit Robert Kagan is surprisingly (or not) hosting a major fundraiser not for the Republicans but for Hillary Clinton.

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Andrew Sentence, former member of the Bank of England’s interest-rate setting Monetary Policy Committee, said the decision was surprising.

“Both the BoE and the chancellor need to be careful about responding too quickly to political events,” he said.

“The chancellor should wait until the autumn when the OBR deliver new economic forecasts he can respond to.”

Yes, in a world where words have consequences, it is surprising for the chancellor to talk down Britain’s financial state.Even more surprising is that the cue for this was contained Teresa May’s candidacy speech. She is tipped to become the next prime minister. Is she working in tandem with Osborne to spook the markets? Is this one of the ways that Brexit can be “walked back” as Kerry has hinted. With the elite divided it is hard to know which side the various actors are playing. But it doesn’t look good for the neocon Brexiteers.

Financial Times

George Osborne has abandoned his long-held goal of reaching a surplus in the UK’s public finances by the end of the decade.

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“We should use this momentum to make the EU work again, which means an effective European government for the Eurozone, a European Border and Coast Guard to safeguard free movement, a European capacity to fight terrorism and a Defense Community. The result of this referendum is a wake-up call which we should use to move forward. We will only be able to turn the tide by working more efficiently together.”

These are the changes contained within the Ayrault-Steimeier document. They are not new and confirm the peripheral role of the EU vis-à-vis the Eurozone. Brexit, with the Brits no longer there to frustrate progress, is already a massive boost to Eurozone integration and governance. At the same time this process should help counter the domino effect which is the last hope of the neocons. Getting control of it’s borders and establishing a coherent and just policy on refugees is one key aspect of avoiding contagion from Brexit. Another is stabilizing the situation in Syria i.e. working together with Russia.

By showing there is no EU integration process, only a Eurozone one, these developments could change some British perceptions. Still, with free movement and, therefore, the single market ruled out, it is hard to see any role for Britain in Europe.

Sputnik

30th June, 201

Leaders of the main political parties in the European Parliament are meeting Thursday (June 30) amid calls for a major shake-up of the institutions of the EU following the Brexit referendum result in an effort to prevent a domino effect.

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Bloomberg

28th June, 2016

The vote is over but the campaign continues.

With financial markets reeling from the Brexit vote, U.K. companies are stepping up lobbying to maintain access to the European Union’s single market and labor, deepening potential rifts with British “Leave” voters who want to curb immigration.

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So Cameron uses his farewell to launch an anti-EU agitation. The plan is clear: to string out negotiations and use them to try to generate a xenophobic backlash throughout Europe leading to the collapse of the European project. This is why he has neither stepped down immediately nor invoked article 50. The British people who voted to leave now have to realize that their vote is merely being used to further the geopolitical interests of an elite faction who have no concern for their interests.

Telegraph

David Cameron has told the EU it must reform freedom of movement rules if Britain is to maintain close economic ties with the continent in the wake of the referendum.

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