Uncategorized Archive - Helene von Bismarck

29 Aug Shutting down parliament is worse than a coup. It’s a mistake.

Posted at 13:34h in Uncategorized

Boris Johnson's decision to prorogue Parliament in the middle of a significant national crisis has provoked outrage at home and abroad. Leaving the consitutional implications aside, this article argues that Johnson made a significant strategic mistake with this decision. He may have hoped to bully...

04 Jul Brexit, Boris Johnson and the EU. (Channel 4 News)

Posted at 14:21h in Uncategorized

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Interview with Matt Frei on Channel 4 News on 4 July 2019 about the Tory leadership contest, Boris Johnson, and Brexit.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][button target="_blank" hover_type="default" text="Details" link="https://www.channel4.com/news/german-historian-helene-von-bismarck-on-brexit-boris-johnson-and-the-eu"][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

10 Apr Das Klischee vom ewigen Störenfried

Posted at 13:58h in Uncategorized

Is the drama about Brexit just the culmination of a British EU-membership that has always been doomed to fail? This article for the Swiss Republik magazine argues that this is not the case. The frustrations about Brexit are no excuse for a selective reading of...

01 Apr Two countries in search of their role: a history of the Anglo-German Königswinter Conferences

Posted at 13:16h in Uncategorized

Since 1950, politicians, high-ranking officials, business people and influential journalists from Britain and Germany have met annually at theKönigswinter Conferences for a frank, informal and confidential exchange of views. This essay discusses the relevance of these conferences for the Anglo-German relationship. Published by Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft....

25 Feb Brexit Blitz spirit: Why does it always come back to the war?

Posted at 11:46h in Uncategorized

Interview with Channel 4 News about the popularity of World War 2 references in the Brexit debate. The use of inappropriate historical analogies is not just offensive to the EU27, it is also severely damaging to the quality of the inner-British debate about Brexit. No...

07 Nov Merkel’s retreat is a major shift for Germany, not for Brexit

Posted at 09:34h in Uncategorized

Essay for the Thinktank The UK in a Changing EU about the implications of the CDU-leadership race for Brexit and the Anglo-German relationship. No matter which candidate succeeds in taking over from Merkel, be it Fridrich Merz, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer or Jens Spahn, it will not...

13 Sep Brexit or chaos: No-Deal is a devastating option

Posted at 11:02h in Uncategorized

Essay for the opinion pages of Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel. The Brexit negitiations are entering their decisive stage this fall. Even if the EU27 and the British Government overcome their considerable differences, the situation is complicated by the bitter divisions in the House of Commons....

24 Aug Remember this: Brexit is not Germany’s priority

Posted at 11:43h in Uncategorized

Comment in The Times Red Box on Germany's position in the Brexit negotiations after the publication of Theresa May's Chequers proposal. Co-published with The UK in a Changing Europe....

02 Jul More pragmatism than conviction: Margaret Thatcher and European Integration

Posted at 11:34h in Uncategorized

On 22 June 2018, Helene gave a paper about Margaret Thatcher's European policy at the Britian and the World Conference held at the University of Exeter (UK). This was part of a panel Helene had organized about 'British Conservatism and the European Community.' The other...

02 May The 68th Anglo-German Königswinter Conference

Posted at 11:23h in Uncategorized

Analysis of the 68th Königswinter Conference, convened in Oxford on 12-14 April 2018. Focus: the post-Brexit Anglo-German relationship. Participants: British and German stakeholders in politics, business, the press and civil society....