The European Reshuffle | Brexit and Pol-exit
A reshuffle of Poland’s national government could be seen as a move to please Brussels. Whereas May wisely turned the table in the name of reform, but that also somewhere target towards making favourable conditions within EU and its relations with the post-Brexit United Kingdom – Prerna Sanjay*
Location: London
Christmas break turned to be a nightmare for many of the spectators of European politics, as on Monday, British Prime Minister Theresa May summoned her cabinet to 10 Downing St. to decide their fate under her tenure. Few moved, few get promoted and unfortunately few also faced demotion.
The London eye witnessed a major change in the Cabinet of Theresa May who attempted to boost her tenure with a Cabinet reshuffle on Monday as U.K prepares for a significant stage in the negotiations over Brexit.
Though she had limited scope to make changes, because of different voices within the cabinet and the overhaul could bolster observations that her regime is flimsy.
Boris Johnson retains its position as the Foreign Secretary. Also, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Brexit Secretary David Davis and Treasury chief Philip Hammond all kept their jobs. So did Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, a common victim of criticism over making disappointments over the state-funded National Health Service.
The most influential ministers remained in place, and Education Secretary Justine Greening discontinued the government after denying for a different position.
May’s determination to have them in their jobs was in part a picture of her policies to balance ministers who were pro-EU like of Hammond and Rudd. Also, the one with support for Brexit like Johnson and Davis.
Conservative Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin, who was facing criticism due to his disastrous election campaign. The party squandered its majority in Parliament after May called a snap election in what became a failed bid to consolidate her grip on power and to strengthen her hand in the Brexit talks.
Northern Ireland’s power-sharing cabinet has been revoked for a year amid a stalemate between the main Irish nationalist and British unionist parties. The parties in Belfast have missed several government-imposed deadlines to restore power sharing, and Northern Ireland faces direct rule from London if a solution is not found soon.
There is speculation that Poland could be the next country to follow the UK and leave the EU | Image: Reuters
The status of the border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland also remains a major issue in Brexit negotiations. Britain and the EU are set to begin reviewing their future terms, with just over a year to go until the U.K. is set to exit the bloc on March 29, 2019. She hopes to defend agreement on a post-Brexit transition phase by the end of March and to outline a withdrawal accord by the end of the year.
May lost a pivotal Cabinet ally before Christmas when de-facto deputy leader Damian Green was forced to resign for making misleading remarks about pornography found on his office computer.
Location: Brussels
One could wonder a giant London Eye which could monitor another 1000 miles. Thanks to the globalised world and social media, which informed the world that Warsaw faced the similar shuffle when yesterday Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki fired several controversial politicians as his Law and Justice party tries to improve relations with the EU.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker poses with Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki ahead of talks at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, January 9, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
This reshuffle included Antoni Macierewicz, who’s been unsuccessfully trying to solve the Smolensk crash mystery, and the environment minister Jan Szysko, the minister of the environment who wanted increase logging in the primaeval Białowieża Fores, losing their jobs.
Poland has seen a surge in the number of people who want to vote on whether or not to stay in the EU.
Over the dinner, last night at the European Commission the Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker gave the two sides an opening to talk.
On Tuesday, Morawiecki said: “We are not ad we don’t want to be a dogmatic, doctrinal government, or a government of socialist or neoliberal extremities.”
A reshuffle of Poland’s national government could be seen as a move to please Brussels. Whereas May wisely turned the table in the name of reforms, but that also somewhere target towards making favourable conditions within EU and its relations with the post-Brexit United Kingdom
*This story is narrated by Prerna Sanjay, Editor at The Kootneeti for the European affairs and digital diplomacy
