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LONDON Nearly a year after Britain voted 52 percent to 48 percent to withdraw from the European Union, those on the pro-E.U. side still think that the idea of leaving the bloc registers somewhere between doltish and disastrous. The Remainers have notenthusiastically embraced the winning side. They are not born-again Brexiteers.

But they are not coalescing around a single party ahead of BritainsJune8 election. Instead, theyre splitting their support several ways, with a sizable faction even supporting the Remainer-turned-Brexiteer prime minister, Theresa May. Those who backed Brexit, by contrast, are flocking to the Conservatives.

As a result, the Remainers are the invisible man in this election, underscoring just how much May has altered the political landscape since coming to office last summer in the wake of the Brexit vote. The failure of the 48percent to unify is one of the main reasons May remains on course for victory, even as her Conservative Party slips in the polls.

[For Britains populist right, Brexit success comes with a poison pill]

Remain voters still think that leaving the E.U. is by and large a daft idea, saidMarcus Roberts, director of international projects at the YouGov polling agency. But he said the splintering can be explained in part by the original Brexit tribes of Leavers and Remainers having morphed into new categories: those who back their sides even more strongly and those who have flipped to the Brexit camp, which he calls Re-Leavers.

He said that nearly half of those who voted to remain in the E.U. the Re-Leavers now just want to make the best of an undesirable situation. For some, that means voting for the Conservatives, whose leader has signaled a hard break with Europe but is viewed by many voters as the best person to negotiate the upcoming divorce talks with the E.U.

It is very British to get on with it and make do with the situation, said Roberts, who noted that May herself was a Remainer but quickly shifted gears after her side lost the referendum.

Theresa May, you could say, was the first Re-Leaver, the first person to grasp the fundamental truth of the British character: After a big event has happened, we dont as a culture re-litigate that event. We try to move on and make the best we can, he said.

[A song that calls Britains Theresa May a liar is climbing the charts but it isnt being played on the radio]

The fragmenting of the Remainer vote can be seen vividly on the streets of Londons Vauxhall district, one of the most ardently pro-E.U. areas of the country. Here, voters should in theory be attracted to the Liberal Democrats, the centrist party that is campaigning to try to blunt the impact of Mays plans for ahard break with Europe.

But instead, the clear front-runner in the pro-Remain Vauxhall is a pro-Leave lawmaker who campaigned alongside arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage. Kate Hoey, 70, is an independent-minded member of the Labour Party. Unlike her party which has adopted a fudged position on Brexit Hoey is an outspoken E.U. skeptic.

Why did you vote to leave? demanded Shola, 25, a Remainer who gave only his first name and on a recent day confronted Hoey at a bustling community center where she was campaigning.

Were a wonderful country. We didnt need to be part of a little mafia, Hoey replied as she launched into an argument about how Britain was on the brink of regaining its freedom and would soon be able to cast off the shackles of Brussels. By the time Hoey was done, her interlocutor said hed vote for her as he did in the last election.

[Manchester suicide bomber may have largely acted alone, police say]

A lot of Remainers have accepted that were going to leave and are now asking: How do we make it work? Hoey said. Isnt it better to have somebody who supported the project of leaving, because Ill look silly if the whole thing is a disaster.

Sitting south of the River Thames, Londons Vauxhall is a mixed place, where crowded apartment blocks rub up against multimillion-dollar Georgian homes facing pretty garden squares. The area, which has a large immigrant community, voted 78percent to remain in the E.U.

The pro-Remain Liberal Democrats are trying to capitalize on the Brexit issue, especially in areas like this, and they hope that this election marks their comeback. It is the only major party to pledge to give voters the chance to reverse Brexit with a second referendum. And if Britain does leave, the Liberal Democratswant minimal disruption.

If were going to leave the European Union, surely it should be the softest of all Brexits, Tim Farron, the partys leader, said in an interview. We should stay in the single market. That means wed have the best opportunity to be a place where Americans could invest, people around the world can invest.

[May and Corbyn trade barbs in run-up to British election]

In some areas where people voted overwhelmingly to stay in the bloc, including university towns such as Cambridge, the Liberal Democrats may emerge victorious.But nationwide, its tough going, as polls show that referendum voting doesnt necessarily predict election voting.

The Remainers will probably bleed back to peoples party loyalties in the previous general election, said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.

The Liberal Democrats were all but wiped out in the 2015 election as voters punished the party for joining in a coalition with the Conservatives and reversing its pledge not to increase university tuition fees. The latest polls a recent YouGov survey showed Conservatives with42percent support, Labour with 39percent and the Liberal Democrats with 7 percent suggest the party is still in the recovery ward.

But in some places, including Vauxhall, the Liberal Democrats hope they can deliver upsets by rallying the pro-E. U. spirit.

Brexit is the issue on the doorstep, said George Turner, 34, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Vauxhall. Brexit is not a yes/no question. We need to have a big conversation about who we want to be as a country, and many are not comfortable with the vision put forward by the far right.

Turner conceded that he has a massive mountain to climb if he is to overturn Hoeys substantial majority but insists that this is the year when anything can happen.

While campaigning door-to-door recently, Turner quickly amassed names of voters who pledged their support, sometimes very quickly. When he knocked on the door of Brian Hogan, Turner explained that his main rival was hard-line pro-Brexit.

Thats all I need to know. Whats your name? You have my vote, said Hogan, 30, a project manager who lives on a street of closed shopfronts.

Hogan said that as an Irish citizen living in London, leaving the European Union is not theoretical for me but a real cause for concern. Its entirely possible that under a hard Brexit, I might not be able to live here in two years time.

View post:
48 percent of Britain voted to stay in the EU last June. Where have they gone? - Washington Post

The European Union has urged Azerbaijan to release detained opposition figures, in an apparent reference to the alleged abduction and arrest of a journalist critical of Baku and the detention of an opposition politician.

The statement on June 4 did not mention names but came after journalist Afqan Muxtarli was kidnapped in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on May 29 and the arrest of opposition politician Gozal Bayramli.

On June 3, the U.S. State Department said the "United States is disturbed by the reported abduction in Tbilisi, Georgia, and subsequent arrest in Azerbaijan" of Muxtarli. It said it was "troubled" by the detention of Bayramli.

The EU statement said "a review by Azerbaijan of any and all cases of incarceration related to the exercise of fundamental rights, including the freedom of expression, and immediate release [of] all of those concerned is urgent.

"We expect that the due process of law is respected, as well as the civil and political rights of citizens and those residing legally in states other than their own," it added.

Muxtarli, 43, was jailed last week for a preliminary three months by an Azerbaijani court.

His attorney, Elcin Sadyqov, told RFE/RL his client was abducted in Tbilisi on May 29, tied up in a car, beaten by men in civilian clothing who spoke Georgian, and brought across the border into Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General's Office spokesman Eldar Sultanov said on May 31 that Muxtarli was detained on suspicion of illegally crossing the border, and alleged that he was in possession of a large amount of cash.

The EU said it welcomed the Georgian government's announcement that it would investigate the alleged kidnapping. Tbilisi denies it was involved in the case.

Muxtarli and his wife fled to Georgia in 2015, fearing for their safety over his investigations into Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's alleged links to corruption.

Bayramli, the deputy chief of the opposition Popular Front Party (AXCP), was arrested on May 25 after she crossed the border from Georgia into Azerbaijan, her party chairman said.

Read the rest here:
EU Urges Azerbaijan To Release Detained Opposition Figures - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

The teen declared the EU is a replica of the dictatorship of the Soviet Union but under a blue banner, as his audience applauded his speech.

The boy, Michal Cywinski, was speaking at a childrens parliamentary session, for childrens day, in Poland, this years topic: De-Communizing Public Spheres.

He blast: We find ourselves in the Sejm of the Polish Republic. In this place, where on a daily basis those who are responsible for our states functioning are in session.

We sit in the same place as the people who took us out from under the Soviet banner and put us under the blue banner of the European Union.

SG

They took us out from under the Soviet banner and put us under the blue banner of the European Union

Michal Cywinski

Under their dictatorship of political correctness, hundreds of people die, run over by trucks, blown up by explosives or are shot to death by extremists, who were imported by the leftist rabble in Brussels.

Today the communists are not red, todays communists are blue.

Furthermore, I believe that the European Union must be destroyed.

At this point, young Michal proceeds to hold aloft a print of the European Unions blue flag, before ripping it to shreds.

The teen received a raucous applause as he thanked his audience and left the speakers plinth.

Poland, as a country, remains eurosceptic with key government figures launching attacks on the blocs eurocrats.

The countrys foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski said he cannot accept the European Commisions authority as relations with the EU crumble.

He said: What is the legitimacy of the Commission? The Commission does not have democratic legitimacy. Its not elected, its selected by the governments.

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We cannot accept this. We cannot accept that a selected body of bureaucrats is monitoring and ordering and ruling the member states.

We can accept a federal Europe that is based on democratic rule.

The bloc hit back at Poland, with Commission spokesman Margaritas Chinas saying it regrets a government minister does no understand the Commission's role, structure and competences.

He added: The Commission is the guardian of the treaties, of common interests of the 28 member states, and of the rule of law.

Read the rest here:
'The EU is the Soviet Union under a blue banner' Teen WRECKS EU flag in Polish parliament - Express.co.uk

BRUSSELS The European Union and China warned U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday he was making a major error by withdrawing from the Paris climate pact, but the pair failed to agree a formal climate statement because of divisions over trade.

Speaking alongside Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the EU's Donald Tusk said efforts to reduce pollution and combat rising sea levels would now continue without the United States. But a spat on trade and steel production underscored the differences in a sometimes difficult EU-China relationship.

"We are convinced that yesterday's decision by the United States to leave the Paris agreement is a big mistake," Tusk, who chairs EU summits as the head of the European Council, told a news conference with Li and the EU's chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker.

"The fight against climate change, and all the research, innovation and technological progress it will bring, will continue, with or without the U.S.," Tusk said.

In their meeting, the three leaders committed to cutting back on fossil fuels, developing more green technology and helping raise funds to help poorer countries cut their emissions, but a dispute about trade ties scuppered plans for a formal joint statement.

Despite what officials described as a warm meeting, China and the European Union could not agree on a broader final communique meant to focus on a range of other issues discussed at the talks, including a commitment to free trade and measures needed to reduce a global steel glut.

The leaders' news conference was delayed for three hours as they sought to find agreement.

According to one person present at the summit, China's insistence on a reference that the European Union will eventually recognize China as an economy driven by the market, not the state, blocked the final 60-point statement.

That also meant there could be no agreement on a formal pledge to work together to reduce global steel production.

China's annual steel output is almost double the EU's total production and Western governments say Chinese steel exports have caused a global steel crisis.

That theme was an undercurrent of the day-long meeting. Before the formal EU-China summit got underway, Juncker referred at a business conference with Li to a World Bank report placing China 78th out of 190 countries in terms of the ease of doing business.

"A big economic powerhouse needs to be higher than mid-table," he said, adding that a planned EU-Chinese investment treaty needed to be completed to ensure reciprocal relations.

France, Germany and Italy have mooted the idea of allowing the EU to block Chinese investment in Europe, partly because European companies are denied similar access in China and because of risks of China acquiring prized European technology.

In reply, Li said China was working hard to promote a trade balance, with Chinese tourism to Europe now far greater than EU tourism in China. Foreign investment opportunities, he said, were far different from when China first opened up.

"I do hope you can put things into context. We find the problems, but we are working on them ... Our ranking is getting better," he said.

"NO REVERSE GEAR" ON CLIMATE

Trump's announcement on Thursday that he would take the United States out of the Paris accord, saying the agreement would undermine the U.S. economy and cost jobs, drew anger and condemnation from world leaders and heads of industry.

European Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete told reporters in Brussels he deeply regretted the U.S. pullout from the pact to fight the dangers of global warming, which was signed by more than 190 countries, and said it could not be renegotiated as Trump has suggested [B5N1G8011].

"The agreement is fit for purpose. The Paris agreement is here to stay and the 29 articles of the Paris agreement are not to be renegotiated," he said after meeting his Chinese counterpart.

Juncker told the business conference on Friday that China and the EU recognized the need for international solutions and this was nowhere more important than full implementation of the Paris agreement.

"There is no reverse gear to energy transition. There is no backsliding on the Paris agreement," Juncker said.

China overtook the United States as the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2007.

(Additional reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Andrew Bolton)

BERLIN/BRUSSELS China and Europe pledged on Friday to unite to save what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called "our Mother Earth", standing firmly against President Donald Trump's decision to take the United States out of the Paris climate change pact.

WASHINGTON The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, said on Friday he believes human activity plays a role in global warming, but measuring that contribution with precision is difficult.

WASHINGTON The United States will continue its efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions despite President Donald Trump's decision to leave the Paris climate accord, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday.

Link:
EU, China trade spat blocks climate statement - Reuters

Prime Minister Li,

Ministers,

Commissioner Malmstrm, dear Cecilia,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Business Europe for hosting us in these beautiful surroundings.

Prime Minister, I never made a secret of my affection and my admiration for your great nation and for the Chinese people. Over the many years and visits first as the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, now as the current President of the European Commission my fascination with your rich history and culture has only grown stronger.

Like all good friends, we may sometimes have our disagreements and we have disagreements but I believe that the frankness and honesty between us makes our relation stronger.

Our partnership today is more important than ever before.

The European Union is China's biggest trading partner. China is the EU's second largest. The trade in goods between us is worth over EUR 1.5 billion every single day.

Access to the European internal market is amongst the main elements having contributed to China's economic miracle, helping millions of people out of poverty.

Over 10 million Chinese people now visit Europe every year. And next year's EU-China Tourism Year will provide new opportunities for investment and more people from both sides to discover the beauty of each other's landscapes and ways of life. And I will make use of this Tourism Year to spend half of the year in China...

But our relationship is not an insular one. It is one that looks out to the world and makes it more stable. Whether it be fighting climate change more important today than yesterday cyber-attacks and international terrorism, or whether it be promoting sustainable development, trade and global economic growth, China and the European Union are aligned on the need for international solutions.

Nowhere is that more important than in leading the global clean energy transition and the implementation the full implementation without nuances of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Our joint leadership provides businesses, investors and researchers in Europe, China and around the world with the certainty they need to build a global low-carbon economy.

And it makes a statement to the world: there is no reverse gear to the energy transition. There is no backsliding on the Paris Agreement.

Our relationship is founded on a shared commitment to openness and working together as part of a rules-based international system. I am glad that we can meet here today and say this, loud and clear. It is one that recognises that together we can promote prosperity and sustainability at home and abroad. This is the vision that President Xi so eloquently described in Davos earlier this year.

I know that the Prime Minister is also fully signed up to that. The State Council Notice on Promoting Further Openness showed his commitment. And the Government Work Plan that explicitly stated China's ambition to be the most attractive destination for foreign investment backed that up.

Over the years we have come a long way. Back when I first visited China as a Prime Minister in 1996, your country was not even a member of the WTO. On that trip I remember talking a lot about working together, but in reality we were closed off to each other. China accounted for only 5% of world exports. Tourism Chinese to Europe and European to China was really unusual at that period of time. Our businesses exchanged less and our economies were not as interlinked as they are today.

Today, the EU is China's most important destination for outward investment. Chinese companies are attracted by the talent and innovation of our people, the stability of our investment environment and the strength of our economy.

And we are just as attracted to China's economy. In 2014, the European Union accounted for nearly 16% of total Foreign Direct Investment into China.

But there is scope for much more. China accounts for less than 5% of foreign investment in the EU. And last year, China's investors spent nearly five times as much on acquisitions in the European Union than European companies did in China.

While Chinese investment into the European Union increased by 77% in 2016, the flow in the other direction declined by almost a quarter. To put that into context, EU investment into China last year was roughly 3% of what we invested into the United States.

That reflects how difficult it can still be to do business in China. Roughly half of EU companies say that it actually got harder last year. One in two say they feel less welcome than when they entered the Chinese market. And more than half say that foreign companies are treated unfairly compared to their Chinese competitors. That feedback is reflected in the World Bank's rankings of the ease of doing business. China sits in 78th place out of 183 countries. A big economic powerhouse needs to be higher than mid-table.

The Government's Work Plan shows China wants to move up the table. It calls for significant improvements in the investment environment and says foreign firms will be treated equally.

The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment currently being negotiated will be a game changer. It will allow us to invest with confidence. It will help protect investments, ensure market access and level the playing field.

This is the third summit I have had the pleasure of taking part in and the third time I have stressed the need for this Agreement to be put into place. We now need to get it done so that we can truly have reciprocal investment relationship in our mutual interest.

We applaud the ambition of China's reform path. We recognise that reforms have been made and that plans have been established. But we would like to see implementation speed up so that your policies are in line with your world vision.

The Prime Minister knows me well enough to know that I will always be frank and honest with him on all these matters.

And I will take the same approach when it comes to the rule of law and fundamental human rights. These are universal questions of fairness and values that we hold dear but they are also pre-requisites for a stable and attractive investment and business environment. And we believe that real competition and real openness can only work with a level playing field.

That is more important than ever as globalisation is increasingly called into question, with many around the world asking whether it really works for them.

The Commission set out its views in a Reflection Paper on Harnessing Globalisation. I explained this vision at last week's G7 and will do so again alongside China at next month's G20.

I understand that 45% of Europeans consider globalisation to be a threat rather than an opportunity. Here in the European Union we are focusing minds and efforts on making sure that no one is left behind and that we are all playing by the same rules.

That is why we must address growing excess capacity in certain sectors that is leading to the dumping of below-cost products. This is hurting EU producers, costing jobs and having a damaging impact on some of our manufacturing and industrial heartlands.

Chinese steel overcapacity is now more than double the EU's total capacity. Over the past decade, Chinese overcapacities have tripled for steel pipes and quadrupled for aluminium and silicon.

When we have to, we will be sure to uphold fairness when it comes to trade. And we are backing that up by strengthening our trade defence instruments to make them fit-for-purpose.

This is not about being protectionist or pointing fingers at others. Our actions are fully in line with our international obligations under the WTO and we will apply them in a fair, transparent and country-neutral way. Trade cannot simply be free. It must be fair.

But as always, the European Union believes in dialogue and cooperation and we will continue to work closely with our Chinese friends on addressing excess capacity and other concerns, notably on data and technology.

This dialogue is crucial at a time when the European Union and China now have a responsibility to fight for a fair and open global market place. Delivering on this dialogue is our deep, strategic interest. If we fail to make progress, the only winners will be the political forces that oppose the openness we seek.

And together, we can make the most of the opportunities that can bring. For example, China is now building corridors that are connecting us by land and sea, as well as online. We welcome the opportunities created by the "Belt and Road" initiative it will bring people and businesses in Asia and Europe closer together. The new direct rail links between Beijing and European hubs are symbols of that. They will resurrect an old trade route and cover 12,000 kilometres, crossing Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and France.

And we want to make sure that the "Belt and Road" complements existing projects, including those under the EU's long-established Trans-European Networks policy or the EU-China Connectivity Platform. Over time, improved connectivity will help manufacturers and businesses of all sizes to lower transport costs and open new markets.

But much more is needed: Asia alone faces a EUR 23 trillion infrastructure gap by 2030. Both the EU and China have a key interest in making the "Belt and Road" Initiative. Our message is that we can help you build it but the rules must be the same for all. European companies must have a fair chance of being able to tender and compete on the same terms as Chinese counterparts. We must ensure, there too, a level playing field.

I am very much encouraged by China's statements on making the "Belt and Road" an open, transparent, inclusive initiative. Let us work on these projects together. Let our companies build them together.

Prime Minister, dear friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

That is just a glimpse of the potential that our partnership holds, not just for the European Union and for China but also for the rest of the world.

Europe's future lies in our own hands this is what leaders stated in their recent Rome Declaration. So we should shape our own future and China will be a crucial partner in that. Together, we can increase the prosperity and well-being of our people. Our companies can thrive in open, fast-growing international markets. We can learn from each other and push each other on to innovate and compete. We can stand up for fairness across the world.

With China, the EU will fight for its global vision, in which we work together to tackle the challenges we share. We will defend the level playing field and make sure that the international system is anchored in rules and institutions that we all agree on. We will accompany the green transition together, in the interests of our children and our grandchildren.

And by doing so we can help to make the world a more stable place, at a time when it is full of uncertainty.

Prime Minister Li, dear friend,

Thank you and welcome once again.

Link:
Speech by President Jean-Claude Juncker at the 12th EU-China Business Summit - EU News