The biggest lie of recent times, which turned into a political meme, is that cooperation with the IMF is a good signal for foreign investors. In fact, cooperation with the fund is a kind of leprosy stigma, a signal that this is a dangerous country, infected with the crisis. The largest inflow of foreign direct investment in Ukraine was observed in 2002-2007 when our country did not cooperate with the IMF, but since 2014, when relations with the fund became almost an integral part of the national idea, foreign direct investment (FDI) is at a freezing point: no more than 2, 3 billion USD a year. That's for whom our cooperation with the IMF is really important, so it is for portfolio investors, who are also called financial speculators. They are making hot investments in Ukrainian government debt. For them, the IMF loan allocated to Ukraine is a sure sign that they will be settled.

Few people thought about one simple fact, which is not particularly customary to spread: since 1994, we have not fully implemented any cooperation programs with the background, with the exception of the first one for 0.76 billion USD, which was implemented during the transition to a market economy from the post-Soviet planning system. The second program in 1995-1998 was implemented only by 54% due to the violation of the IMF requirements in terms of money supply growth and the size of the budget deficit. In 1998-2002, a scandal with the manipulation of National Bank (NBU) data regarding the size of foreign exchange reserves erupted. In 2002-2008, we did not cooperate with the fund and did not even use the working credit limit of 0.6 billion USD. But the crisis of 2008 was minimized thanks to IMF loans: then we received a total of 64% of the credit line in the amount of 16.5 billion USD, that is, 10.6 billion USD (three tranches). The reason for the suspension of the program is the failure to fulfill obligations to the fund. In this program, part of the credit tranches was credited directly to the budget, and not to the NBU reserves. In 2010, a new ambitious program was signed in the amount of 15.1 billion USD, but the percentage of its implementation was even less - 22%. In fact, this program was designed to prevent Ukraine from disrupting preparatory activities for Euro 2012.

In 2014, the IMF signed an emergency stand-by lending program with us, the specificity of which is to provide loans to replenish the reserves of the country's central bank in the face of structural deterioration in the balance of payments. The program was suspended by agreement of the parties, as the IMF decided that Ukraine, after a series of crises, was already ripe for systemic reforms. That is why the parties decided that instead of the stand-by, the new format of cooperation would be more suitable for the extended financing program, which, among other things, allows allocating tranches to replenish the state budget, but in return suggests a longer-term cooperation plan (while the stand-by is for a year or two), as well as deeper systemic reforms of the economy of the recipient country. The new program amounted to 17.5 billion USD, and Ukraine received four tranches for the first time, although the amount received was less than in the 2008 program: 8.7 billion USD. Finally, in 2018, the simplified format again replaced the extended lending program. Until the spring of 2020, Ukraine could receive up to 4 billion USD, and the first tranche was transferred at the end of 2018 in the amount of 1.4 billion USD.

Another two tranches of 1.3 billion USD were received by our country in 2019, but the second tranche, scheduled for May of this year, paused the judicial decisions on Privat Bank, adopted in the interests of its former owners in the interval between the first and second rounds of the presidential election, that is, in April 2019, when it became completely clear that Poroshenko resigns as president, and Zelensky comes to that. Just a few court decisions cost the country 2.6 billion USD, which had to be replaced with super-expensive private funding to receive peak payments on public debt in May and September. In total, we had to overpay approximately 100 million USD a year to service such a replacement of IMF loans with expensive private loans.

But the problem of paying public debts faces Ukraine just as acute next year. It will be necessary to attract 4.9 billion USD in the foreign market and more than 230 billion UAH (0,9 billion USD) in the domestic market to fulfill the plans for borrowing. IMF loans in most cases are not credited to the budget and cannot be used by the Ministry of Finance to pay off external debts.

They fall directly into the NBU's gold and foreign exchange reserves and can be used by the latter to conduct foreign exchange interventions, in particular, to sell foreign currency directly to the Ministry of Finance. This requires only the availability of hryvnia resources in a single treasury account, but even if there is no money in the required amount, the National Bank can replenish the TSA by transferring its profits to the budget or by quasi-fiscal domination. Thus, the use of IMF loans to pay off debts is indirect, but the very circuitry for transforming the NBU gold reserves into a resource in the foreign currency treasury account of the Ministry of Finance is quite simple.

In fact, the IMF is interested in continuing cooperation with Ukraine. There are several reasons for this. After Zelenskys conversation with the head of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, the contours of the future program emerged. It will be a simple stand-by for three years in the amount of 4 billion SDR or 5.5 billion USD. It is worth noting that Ukraine owes the fund at the moment 8.78 billion USD, that is, more than three billion more, and we need to give them back in the coming years.

Thus, even after the signing of a new program of cooperation with the fund, the balance of financial flows will be in favor of the IMF, and we will not only refund the received, but also pay our 3 billion USD, plus we will remain under the new program. In addition, the IMF is a representative of external lenders, and he is interested in Ukraine repaying its debts to the last Ukrainian.

What is the key feature of the current negotiations? The fact is that, based on the government agenda, our country could not have had any problems getting new credit tranches. Our Cabinet tried to be holier than the Pope, that is, more toxic than the IMF itself: the governments program includes land reform with a bunch of systemic risks, and a new Labor Code that destroys the rights of an employee, and market utility tariffs, and the sale of state property for conditional hryvnia exchange rate. The IMF could not even dream of such a thing. If not for one factor that impedes further movement. It's about PrivatBank. Back in September, the Ukrainian negotiators made timid proposals regarding the so-called zero option, in which the nationalization of PrivatBank would be considered illegal with accrual of compensation in favor of the former owners, which could be offset by the amount of credit debt of companies directly or indirectly related to former beneficiaries of the bank. Naturally, the IMF could not agree for the implementation of this scenario, and moreover, the factor of trust in the new government was undermined.

The rest is here:
Ukraine-IMF cooperation: Myths and reality - 112 International

Boris Johnson will today tell newly elected MPs that their first parliamentary vote will be to get Brexit done.The Prime Minister will speak with the 109 newly-elected Tories as they arrive in Westminster following the partys thumping victory over Labour in the general election last week. However, the planned separation from the EU on January 31, may not stop the UK heavily funding the bloc, in fact, they may be relying on Mr Johnsons signature more than ever to fund a new project in space.

Horizon Europeis a planned seven-yearEU scientific research initiative meant to succeed the currentHorizon 2020programme, of which the European Commissiondrafted and approved a plan to raise EU science spending levels by 50 percent over the years 2021-2027.

Cabinet minister Chris Skidmore has explained why the UK may have to fork-out a significant investment into it.

He told Express.co.uk:When it comes to projects like Horizon Europe, I want us to continue with European research partnerships, Ive not met anyone who doesnt.

All the contingency measures weve got, all the existing programmes, we are continuing to pay for, even after we get our of the European Union for the lifetime of those programmes.

They need more than ever to achieve

Chris Skidmore

I think Ive spoken to every European researcher and its been a goal of mine to show that we want to continue in Horizon 2020 as a third country.

Obviously youve got this new programme, Horizon Europe, thats coming on stream from the beginning of 2021 onwards too.

Mr Skidmore explained why the UK will be keen to be a part of the Horizon Europe programme.

He added: Were in the last year of Horizon 2020 and our manifesto makes it clear that we want to continue in Horizon.

Now its about battling the naysayers who claim were not going to be able to do it.

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I honestly think that were going to be able to get around the table and pay into the budget.

The one thing is that the actual association articles arent open for negotiations yet because they are still agreeing the overall budget for Horizon Europe.

Mr Skidmore went on to detail why the EU is likely to want the UK to be a part of the project.

He continued: I think theyve come to a settlement now on 84billion about two days ago.

But they need more than ever to achieve that because we are currently the largest contributors financially into Horizon 2020.

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So Im assuming we will get full access to all the programmes and Ill be lobbying for that.

Horizon Europes framework is different to Horizon 2020, before, if you were a third-party country, you couldnt participate in certain core things like the European Research Council.

However, things will be different for the EUs new plans.

Mr Skidmore explained: Thats not the same with Horizon Europe, Ive been told by the commissioner that if we stump up the money we will be able to get full access.

I think theres a really strong case for continuing, we already put in about 1billion a year and get 1.3billion back, so its a net beneficial.

So if were going to be putting in 18billion into research and development, we can easily afford to buy into the programme.

As soon as we get Brexit done, I want to be straight back into having those discussions.

Mr Skidmore also confirmed the UK will build its own replacement for the Galileo system Europes Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), built to rival the USs GPS system that will be used for military defence and critical national infrastructure purposes.

Among the most crucial parts of the system is thePublic Regulated Service (PRS),an encrypted navigation service used by government agencies, the armed forces and emergency services.

The EU insists access to this will only be forthe bloc'smembers when it launches in 2020 and so it has now been confirmed Boris Johnson has pushed forward plans for a 5billion full system to launch in 2030.

Originally posted here:
They need us more than ever! EU depending on UK for 84bn post-Brexit project funding - Express

OTTAWA Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus new federal cabinet has grown by two spots to reach 36 members. Of those, four are from B.C., four are from Atlantic Canada, one is from Manitoba and the rest are from Ontario and Quebec. There are no spectacular surprises in the new cabinet, and many significant portfolios such as finance, defence, justice and Indigenous relations are staying the same. But there were also notable changes as the government retools for a minority parliament situation. Heres an overview of whos moving up, whos moving down and whos moving in.

Promotions

Chrystia Freeland, who as global affairs minister was perhaps the highest-profile minister last term, is now being clearly marked as Trudeaus right hand in cabinet. Shes been named deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs and its that second role that will be especially important as Trudeau grapples with regional grievances and combative premiers. Freelands replacement in global affairs is Franois-Philippe Champagne, who gets a promotion from infrastructure minister. His new job comes as trade tensions remain high and Canada seeks a security council seat at the United Nations.

B..C.s Jonathan Wilkinson takes over the contentious environment and climate change file, moving up from fisheries minister. Having a western-based environment minister who was raised in Saskatchewan may help Trudeau sell his climate policies, though Wilkinson certainly faces a tough task.

Meanwhile, Newfoundlands Seamus ORegan is moving from Indigenous services to natural resources, giving him oversight of the energy and pipeline file. On one hand, hes from an oil-producing province that is no stranger to falling on hard economic times. On the other, ORegan is close personal friends with Trudeau and may not get an easy ride on the prairies.

Another notable promotion is Quebecs Pablo Rodriguez moving from heritage minister to government house leader, a key role in a minority parliament where every legislative move will need careful negotiation with the other parties. Rodriguez will also be Trudeaus cabinet point person on all matters Quebec.

Demotions

Among the top ranks of last terms cabinet there are no massive demotions this time around. Most of the moves are essentially lateral, such as Catherine McKenna moving from environment to infrastructure. But there are still some noticeable steps down.

Bardish Chagger was government house leader last term, but shes been moved out of that role ahead of the minority parliament when it becomes a much trickier job. Instead Chagger has been given the portfolio of diversity, inclusion and youth a vague-sounding title that did not exist in the last cabinet (aside from the fact Trudeau himself had take on the role of youth minister).

Two cabinet ministers have been dropped from cabinet entirely, Kristy Duncan (previously minister for science and sport) and Ginette Petitpas Taylor (previously minister of health). Both are taking on non-cabinet roles, Duncan as deputy house leader and Petitpas Taylor as deputy government whip.

Petitpas Taylor leaves the health portfolio as its about to take on more importance, with Trudeau promising to develop a national pharmacare program. Instead it will be Patty Hajdu, previously labour minister, who shepherds that process.

Cabinet rookies

There are seven newcomers to this cabinet, and the two newly-elected MPs Anita Anand and Steven Guilbeault are also getting two of the toughest jobs.

Anand, a former law professor at the University of Toronto, is now the minister of public works and procurement. Its a complex job that doesnt get a lot of attention outside Ottawa until a major problem arises, such as the Phoenix pay system debacle or the troubled procurement of new fighter jets.

Guilbeault, a well-known environmentalist from Montreal, is taking on the heritage file, a sometimes precarious job for a Quebec politician just ask Mlanie Joly, who was earlier hounded out of that office largely over Qubcois concerns that Netflix got a sweetheart deal over local media production. Guilbeault is also now in charge of the controversial $595-million subsidy package for newspapers, better known as the media bailout.

Other cabinet rookies include Mona Fortier, who becomes minister of middle-class prosperity and associate finance minister; Marco Mendicino, who will be immigration minister; Marc Miller, the new minister of Indigenous services; Deb Schulte, the new minister of seniors; and Dan Vandal, who becomes minister of northern affairs.

Email: bplatt@postmedia.com | Twitter:

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Who's up, who's down and who's new in Trudeau's expanded cabinet - National Post

Cyril Ramaphosa is going to be haunted by the phrase new dawn until he leaves office. The president has used the two-word term extensively since his appointment to the top job, but instead, his administration has been blighted by a series of dark mornings and never-ending nights. The fact that a cabinet reshuffle is allegedly in the works tells you everything you need to know about life in the ANC right now.

According to the Mail and Guardian, several key figures are convinced that Ramaphosa is ready to shuffle his pack, and there could be some high-profile casualties. Were taking a quick look at who may be in the firing line, and where the president wants to put them instead.

This would mark a thinly-veiled demotion for Sisulu, and shoud this go ahead, it would be a damning statement on Cyrils faith in her to solve the water crises currently plaguing South Africa. Once on Ramaphosas slate for the 2017 ANC leadership battle, the minister doesnt enjoy the same cosy relationship with CR any more.

Lindiwe Sisulu still harbours leadership ambitions, and apparently, that doesnt sit too well with the presidents inner circle. Plus, her decision to give the disgraced Bathabile Dlamini a route back into frontline ANC business hasnt endeared her to many. Dlamini, who was made chair of the Social Housing Regulatory Authority this week, is largely blamed for crippling SASSA and the social benefits network.

The KZN ANC stalwart would be tasked with regulating South Africas intelligence unit if the cabinet reshuffle rumours are to be believed. He was appointed to the role shortly after the 2019 Elections concluded, but it looks like he could be on the move again, giving up his office for Sisulu and replacing Ayanda Dlodlo.

And thus, our circle is complete. Dlodlo is being lined up to take Sisulus job. It would seem that, despite retaining both politicians in his cabinet, Ramaphosa is attempting to consolidate his party power.

It would be remiss to complete this list without mentioning the tragic death of former Deputy Minister of Energy Bavelile Hlongwa. She lost her life in a motor vehicle accident back in September, and the president is set to pick her replacement soon. Ramaphosas spokesperson says she expects any cabinet reshuffle would only take place when the new deputy minister is chosen.

Read more:
Cabinet reshuffle rumours: Three ministers who may be on the move - The South African

Local Conservative MP Cathy McLeod and Thompson River University political scientist Derek Cook agree the new federal cabinet unveiled this week will have its challenges.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a larger cabinet that aims to advance Liberal campaign promises to tackle climate change and promote middle-class prosperity, while attempting to soothe regional tensions worsened by last months minority government election outcome.

Following the Oct. 21 election, Trudeau said Canadians voted to pull together the country, to focus on issues of economic growth for the middle class, to fight climate change and to keep Canadians and their communities safe.

That is our focus and this is the team to do that, Trudeau said on Wednesday, flanked by his 36 ministers outside Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

McLeod said there are many critical issues that will need to be top priorities for cabinet, with the Canadian National Railway strike at the forefront of Labour Minister Filomena Tassis agenda.

For B.C., McLeod stressed the need to renew the softwood lumber agreement with the U.S.

Cook views Catherine McKennas shuffle from Environment and Climate Change to Infrastructure and Communities as a move to an important portfolio that can impact her previous role.

If we want to do something about climate change, we have to put in infrastructural investments, Cook said, adding people need to be given an alternative to working in the fossil-fuel industry.

He said there is plenty of work in a green economy, in which infrastructure plays a big role.

North Vancouver MP Jonathan Wilkinson is McKennas replacement as environment minister, moving over from his last position as minister of fisheries and oceans.

Cook said the appointment is a smart move politically, but noted a conflict is inevitable for Wilkinson in that role as he represents a constituency that is has concerns about the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which the government is committed to completing.

His job will be to convince B.C.ers to support the pipeline or to at least stand aside, Cook said.

Wilkinson and three other Vancouver-area Liberal MPs were retained in Trudeaus cabinet and McLeod hopes they will be advocates for the forestry industry in B.C. regardless of their portfolios.

Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver South) remains minister of national defence, Joyce Murray(Vancouver Quadra) moves from president of the treasury board and minister of digital government to minister for digital government and Carla Qualtrough (Delta) is now minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, transferring from minister of public service.

Among the biggest moves, former foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland was replaced by former infrastructure minister Franois-Philippe Champagne, a move Cook views as an upgrade.

The person whos taking over for her is basically a trade expert and, if you want to do well economically, then international trade is important, he said.

Freeland was promoted to deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs.

In her new role, Freeland will be the point person dealing with provincial leaders and is also the first deputy prime minister the country has had in more than a decade.

McLeod believes Freeland has been given a tough task, describing the deputy prime minister role with a focus on intergovernmental relations as a necessary portfolio.

Cook said Freeland will have a lot of work to do when it comes to dealing with the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the Liberals were shut out in the election.

Theyre simply offside on the Liberal agenda and I dont see what could be done to bring them back, Cook said.

The Toronto MP, who has roots in Alberta, won praise as a tough, canny negotiator during the NAFTA trade talks. Her diplomatic and negotiating skills will be put to the test in dealing with Albertas Jason Kenney, Saskatchewans Scott Moe and Ontarios Doug Ford.

McLeod noted Canadian unity, the rise of the Bloq Quebecois and challenges facing Alberta and Saskatchewan are among the other issues Trudeaus minority government will have to address.

McLeod was most recently the Conservative Indigenous Affairs critic. The party will be confirming its new shadow cabinet to be named before Parliament resumes on Dec. 5.

McLeod said she does not know if she will retain the critic portfolio.

I havent had any conversations with him, she said of Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

Cook said the chairs of cabinet committees, where decisions are typically made, will be telling of who has power in the new cabinet.

Those are the people you write to if you want to lobby the cabinet, he said.

with files from Canadian Press

Chrystia Freelandbecomes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Anita Anandbecomes Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Navdeep Bainsbecomes Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Carolyn Bennettremains Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Marie-Claude Bibeauremains Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Bill Blairbecomes Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Bardish Chaggerbecomes Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth

Franois-Philippe Champagnebecomes Minister of Foreign Affairs

Jean-Yves Duclosbecomes President of the Treasury Board

Mona Fortierbecomes Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance

Marc Garneauremains Minister of Transport

Karina Gouldbecomes Minister of International Development

Steven Guilbeaultbecomes Minister of Canadian Heritage

Patty Hajdubecomes Minister of Health

Ahmed Hussenbecomes Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Mlanie Jolybecomes Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages

Bernadette Jordanbecomes Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

David Lamettiremains Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Dominic LeBlancbecomes President of the Queens Privy Council for Canada

Diane Lebouthillierremains Minister of National Revenue

Lawrence MacAulayremains Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Catherine McKennabecomes Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

Marco E. L. Mendicinobecomes Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Marc Millerbecomes Minister of Indigenous Services

Maryam Monsefbecomes Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

Bill Morneauremains Minister of Finance

Joyce Murraybecomes Minister of Digital Government

Mary Ngbecomes Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade

Seamus OReganbecomes Minister of Natural Resources

Carla Qualtroughbecomes Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

Pablo Rodriguezbecomes Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Harjit Sajjanremains Minister of National Defence

Deb Schultebecomes Minister of Seniors

Filomena Tassibecomes Minister of Labour

Dan Vandalbecomes Minister of Northern Affairs

Jonathan Wilkinsonbecomes Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Cabinet Committee on Agenda, Results and Communications

Cabinet Committee on Operations

Cabinet Committee on Global Affairs and Public Security

Cabinet Committee on Reconciliation

Cabinet Committee on Economy and the Environment

Cabinet Committee on Health and Social Affairs

Treasury Board

Incident Response Group

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Peering into the new Trudeau cabinet - Kamloops This Week

A POTENTIAL 20million replacement school for rundown Doon Academy is still on the table despite a funding knock back.

East Ayrshire Council leader Douglas Reid has been in touch with Scottish Cabinet Secretary Derek Mackay to make the case for the new Dalmellington high school.

The campus proposal would also see the construction of a new primary school for the town.

SNP Councillor Reid said he has written and spoken to the finance minister and received a positive response.

He said: The council have put quite a bit of money towards a new school. We are hoping the Scottish Government will assist with funding as well.

It is hoped another wave of potential Holyrood funding would include cash for the new secondary.

Council officials now plan to submit a second bid since the first one was rejected.

Councillor Reid continued: Fingers crossed for Doon Academy. This would ensure a secondary provision in the Doon Valley.

There are hopes for a definitive answer in the new year, he added.

He described the secondary plans as the final piece of the jigsaw for the area considering Patnas new school and the construction of Bellsbank Primary getting underway.

Highlighting the importance of the high school, he stressed it shouldnt miss out on facilities just because it is small.

Doon Valley Councillor Drew Wilson said it would be one of the largest investments in the area.

The independent politician said: It will be a new modern facility that can only boost the attainment of our young people for the future.

A paper presented to cabinet councillors recently said the Doon Academy building continues to deteriorate.

It saidthe initial bid for Scottish Government funding (for the school) has been unsuccessful.

It is understood refurbishment is not a feasible option because of asbestos.

The secondarys main building has been rated as amber by the council which means it needs work.

The race is now on to get the cash secured and the new school plan back on track.

The councils property management plan report said: progress to finalise a schemewill be required within 2020 with a further bid for funding to be submitted at the next stage of the New Learning Estate Investment Programme.

The new school could cost between 15 million to 20 million.

Read this article:
A 20m replacement school for Doon Academy still on the table - Cumnock Chronicle

41 percent of national parliaments, like the UK, use a bicameral system, meaning that Parliament contains two separate chambers. It is another democratic innovation, started in England, developed over time within the UK and then exported worldwide. However, according to many, it is an aspect of British democracy that has barely progressed from the century it was set up to.

With its 776 members, it is the largest second chamber in the world France and Italy have 348 and 321 respectively and apart from Iran and Vatican City, the UK is the only state that allows clerics to play a part in lawmaking.

During a recent event attended by Express.co.uk, Lord Peter Hain, a former Labour Cabinet minister, called for the House of House of Lords to be scrapped and replaced with an elected US-style senate.

Explaining the radical reform, the peer said: The number of the people in the House of Lords is ridiculous.

It should be at least smaller than the House of Commons.

I believe in an elected House of Lords, or at least 80 percent elected 20 appointed.

I think the quality of debate in the Lords is far higher than the Commons, but I think that the second chamber should represent the country.

Lord Hain added: For example you could, at the same time you cast your vote for the general election, also elect a proportion of peers or senators from Wales or Yorkshire.

When asked whether it would make sense to use the European constituencies after Brexit, the peer said: Thats actually where the working model is.

To use the European constituencies. You would get a number around about 300.

JUST IN:How Conservative Party manifesto barely mentioned Irish border issue

When asked whether he would stand, if an election was tomorrow, Lord Hain responded positively.

Lord Hains comments came at an event organised by the London Grill Club last week..

Lord Hain is not the only peer who backs a reformed House of Lords.

Lord Salisbury, the former leader of the House of Lords, is currently advocating the Act of Union Bill the first attempt to devise a coherent plan for what should happen after many powers return from the European Union.

The blueprint proposes a federal structure for the continuation of the Union, establishing the principle of self-determination among all four parts, as well as radical reforms in Westminster.

One of the most fundamental reforms, the group says, concerns the upper house, the House of Lords.

The bill offers two alternatives, either reforming the House or abolishing it altogether.

Talking exclusively with Express.co.uk, Lord Salisbury explained: I have always thought the House of Lords needed reform.

In fact, its a bit of a family failing.

My great-great-grandfather wanted to reform the House of Lords in the 1860s.

I think that there are also sorts of ways you can reform the House. You get three people in the room, and there are at least four different solutions proposed.

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See the article here:
Lord Hain calls for the House of Lords to be SCRAPPED and replaced with US style senate - Express

Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault makes his way to his first cabinet meeting on Thursday November 21, 2019 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

Peter Menzies is a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a former CRTC vice-chair of telecommunications. While he also advises tech companies, the opinions here are his own.

The first priority for Canadas freshly installed ministers responsible for the overhaul of broadcasting and telecommunications legislation will likely be to do no harm.

And in the short term, that might mean doing nothing at all.

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Veteran Navdeep Bains returns to cabinet as Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (ISI) along with rookie Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault. Early next year, they will receive the recommendations of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislation Review (BTLR) panel established in 2018. In a less volatile political environment, the next step would be to create new legislation recognizing that much has changed since the current acts were put in place, and a country of spectrum scarcity has been replaced by a world of global access on infinite platforms.

But we have a minority government. That means framing sensible new legislation involving broadcasting will be a delicate matter because when a cultural discussion happens in Canada, language politics become involved, which means the issue of Quebecs cultural autonomy comes up. Keeping in mind Quebec has never really conceded its jurisdiction over communications matters, that means it will be extremely difficult to frame any new legislation that could not be used by the Bloc Qubcois and others to inflame francophone sensibilities.

Given that francophone creative work is already funded at about $1.50 per capita compared with 75 cents per capita for anglophone work along with the rise of sentiment favouring Western independence, it seems risky to poke that hornets nest of linguistic anxieties, existential angst and transfer payments/pipelines resentments. When it comes to broadcasting and cultural funding, the matter is quite simple: Quebec will be angry if it doesnt get more, and the West, already in an explosive state, will be even angrier if it does.

Mr. Guilbeault will be very aware that one of his predecessors and colleagues, Montreal MP and now Economic Development and Languages Minister Melanie Joly, was undone as Heritage Minister when her 2017 deal with Netflix failed to carve out a specific piece of the Netflix pie for francophone production in Quebec. (Despite the fact it took Netflix less than two years to invest the $500-million it promised to invest in five, that sentiment remains.)

Her replacement and now Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez adamantly maintained that carriers of online video should be drawn into the broadcasting system an argument rejected by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for two decades prior to its embrace of the same in its 2018 report, knowingly titled Harnessing Change.

That regulators and legislators would frame the internet as little more than the new cable betrays a very poor understanding of what is now the countrys most vital communications tool. The Federal Court, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012, has already ruled that internet service providers are not broadcasting distribution units (BDUs), and yet this notion reminiscent of when automobiles were called horseless carriages persists.

New communications legislation, if it is to be progressive and capable of building a 21st-century foundation for economic success, must make it clear that the affordability and availability of the online world is vital to the productivity of all industries not just the 2.8 per cent of gross domestic product generated by the creative/entertainment sector. To do that, a new act must clearly dictate non-interference in the flow of legal content and sever the financial dependency between cultural financing and BDU revenue by funding creators directly. Principles of net neutrality must be embedded to remove the possibility the CRTC will one day, as it suggests, be measuring the percentage of online videos posted on news sites to ensure a sufficient percentage are Canadian.

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Mr. Bains has shown some sensible instincts in this regard and the government has spoken virtuously of net neutrality in the past, but all the policy talk through the election campaign was about preserving the 20th-century status quo. And that has the potential to take us all back to when the current Telecommunications Act was enacted: 1993. Its hard to imagine anyone wants to go there.

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Excerpt from:
Ministers must tread lightly with telecom industry - The Globe and Mail

Whos this weeks hero, Johnny?It probably wont happen often that my hero of the week will be someone who has just been sacked but such was the affection this man was held in, it feels like the right time to both mark his departure and appreciate his contribution to the fine north London cultural institute that is Tottenham Hotspur over the past five and a half years.

Hes an Argentinian from the splendidly named town of Murphy and prior to joining Southampton was probably most well-known to an English audience as the player who was nearest to Michael Owens penalty-winning dive in the 1998 World Cup game.

A brooding, long-haired defender he looked every bit the sexy Gaucho or possibly the bass player in Sepultura. He has managed just three clubs in his 10-year career in the dug out, Espanyol, Saints and Spurs. In that time he earned his reputation as a progressive, empathetic manager who can put together a team to play in a very specific, often thrilling, committed, high-pressing way, without spending the GDP of Belgium to do so. His departure this week left many heartbroken and feeling that they had lost a friend, somehow.

Thatll be Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero, then.

What have they done to deserve this then?There seems to be a common feeling amongst Spurs supporters that his period in charge has been the finest, most entertaining football since the glory days of Bill Nicholson. That it was done on a relatively tight budget at a time of financial incontinence by all their competitors, whilst having a new stadium built and all the upheaval of having to play at Wembley has only added to the feeling that this was an absolutely remarkable period in the clubs history.

However, there is something more unusual about his tenure, something very much out of whack with the ruthless end of modern top flight football and that is the fact that he attracted so much love and affection as a person. It was how he went about being Spurs manager as much as the football his sides played that gained loyalty from fans and players too. He was a shining beacon of decency in the long dark night of the soul that is the Premier League.

And while he took Spurs into the Champions League places each season and to last seasons final in a run of games that were some of the most emotionally remarkable sporting moments any of us have witnessed, the jibe that he hadnt won a trophy continued to be hurled at him. Football has too many observers who see the game as merely part of an acquisitive lifestyle to define worth or success.

Even now there are those who are puzzled as to why a manager can be hailed as a huge success without winning a trophy. This is a philosophical divide. Football remains hugely popular because were addicted to the journey and not the destination. Those who see only arriving as having true value, will never understand that it is the experience of the travelling where the soul of the game lies. Success is to be entertaining, to be transformative, to make your fans feel good. His replacement will perhaps win a League Cup but will likely never be held in the same regard or warmth. After all Juande Ramos won a cup but in no way is regarded as more successful than Mauricio. Thats because real success is measured in the heart and soul, not in the pocket or trophy cabinet.

His years at the club illustrated perfectly that football is not all about winning titles or trophies, it is about much more deep, more profound things such as community, understanding, empathy, love and passion. Who would trade the love in their heart for a pot of silver? No-one. And those that would are surely cold to the warmth that football brings to the people.

With his squirralish pouchy cheeks, thick hair and self-effacing charming grin, it is impossible not to like our man. He feels genuine and open. If you look at a few clips of his press conferences, we see a man who is very expressive, especially with his eyes and eyebrows. He can go from blank to twinkle, to a shrugging grin and an open-eyed delight all within the space of one answer. And as with many likeable people who have a natural charm, you find yourself wanting to look at him, just to see him going through this rainbow of emotions and expressions.

You cant fake being likable because being liked isnt something that is within your own gift. As this general election has so well proven already, no amount of PR, spin or fine words can make a narcissistic lying scumbag likeable. You can say anything you like but when people know youre a shameless, moral-free liar, it all bounces off.

The tweet from Harry Kane seemed very heartfelt and reflected just how deep affection for him is.

And this picture of the message he left for his former team was typically touching

Media reaction?This was surely every football journos wet dream. Not only the loss of a big name manager at a top club, but to be replaced by Him. So the amount of trees felled to cover the story was mighty and a lot of phone battery energy has been expended over the past few days. As I write this section on Thursday lunchtime, Google News produces over 70 stories published in the last five hours when you do a search for Pochettino.

The Athletic especially was absolutely stuffed with articles about Spurs, Poch, his replacement and even what it all had to do with Eddie Howe. After reading three pieces, unless you were a huge fan of Spurs with an unlimited appetite, it was all just too much. After a while, it felt like one of those encore jams when everyone gets to play a solo, including the drummer and everyone gets bored. Its obviously a big issue but really, ever more isnt ever better, its just more.

Tottenham appoint Mourinho after Pochettino sulked his way to the sack had three contributors, while What is it really like to play for Jose Mourinho? had five in the byline. Perhaps this was in order to drum the pieces up as quickly as possible. Certainly no shortage of resources were thrown at it. So much so that after little more than 30 hours, it felt like every drop of juice had already been wrung out of the story. Isnt that the modern way?

Michael Cox wrote a typically unique, excellent and thoroughly forensic piece Why Mourinhos arrival should excite Alli and Kane, but Winks future is a worry and was probably the only piece you needed to read about the actual football implications.

Anyone grumpy about it?It is not an exaggeration to say that many Spurs supporters are not just grumpy but absolutely heartbroken at his departure. He had become a surrogate family member to many. While there is acknowledgement that perhaps he was losing his mojo a little and that maybe the dressing room wasnt responding as positively to him as it once did, he had become part of so many peoples lives that the thought of him not being there was too much for many.

The appointment of his replacement only compounded the terrible shock for some. To say it felt like going from glory to heartache wouldnt be too strong. It all seemed to end so quickly.

Philippe Auclair called it an act of vandalism and that feels right on the money.

What the people sayPlenty had plenty to say about our man. When someone is genuinely liked, loved even, that feeling of having lost something, of the light in your life being a little dimmed is understandable. We start as ever with a 4_4_haiku.

The Poch love is very high and there were plenty prepared to publicly confess their affection for the man.

Proof as if needed that football is about so much more than winning trophies.

He always comes across as a genuinely nice guy who is humble and affable and seems somewhat immune to the corrosive effects that the omnipotent football industry can have on some people. Theres very few people who dont like him which is a big achievement in this day and age.

Clearly a very competent manager, its shame Levy didnt realise this and back him properly. They could have built something really astonishing between them had he been backed like his peers. At a club with proper ambition, watch the silverware role in.

Aw man, its still too raw! I havent ever felt such a connection with a manager, which by extension made me more connected with the team than ever.

The black trousers, black shirt & black tie combo is his legacy. The suavest man to step foot inside a technical area. Not a bad coach either.

Oozes class, doesnt he? As a Chelsea fan he actually reminds me of 2005/06 Mourinho intelligent, tactically astute, affable. Wouldnt be out of place at any top club. Which is why its strange to see Spurs move for the stale, bitter and outdated 2019 Jose.

Hes good, but hes no Nigel Adkins

He always seemed like a Gentleman wanting impart his wisdom and philosophy as well as his football onto a new generation. Outside of the top three, he will be welcome at any club. That says more than anything else.

It breaks my heart to think hes not part of our football club any more. The last 5 years have been amazing. Love him to bits.

Just ask Rickie Lambert about what a great manager he was for #saintsfc. Other than the indiscretion of signing Dani Osvaldo, he is pretty much fondly remembered by myself.

Im a Man City fan in Australia so we get the 25 minute highlights and Id always watch his teams as you knew youd get a good game of football.

Im definitely picturing him as the smooth and silent killer in a spaghetti western. But thats probably racist. You cant say anything these days, Jeff.

An intelligent, articulate and a superb manager. Deserved a chance to try and right things. And the fact that he didnt get to say goodbye to the players and fans shows why there is little grace left in the game. He made the new spurs and the new Spurs made him.

I know its a cliche, but he made me proud to be a Tottenham fan for the first time in years. Im gutted hes gone, but accept that sadly it was probably the right choice I dont think he was going to turn it around, and Id rather he leave a legend than overstay his welcome.

Affable but steely, he shook a rotting club to the core with no bluster and a great deal of charm. He transformed the careers of many players, and the beliefs of many fans. We dared again because of him, and we so very nearly did. Spursy meant something else because of him.

He made me feel something for my football club that Ive not felt for a long, long time. The highs felt so much higher with him. He will be missed.

Great manager, Im sad to see him go. Gave the fans a team to be proud of. Levy needs his head checked in sacking him.

What does the future hold?His stock is incredibly high. Just staying at one club for over five years is such a rare quality in itself and speaks to his passion for development of a whole squad and not just trying to buy some success off the shelf. That being said, hell likely want to work with someone with looser purse strings than Daniel Levy in future. He could probably do with a bit of a break, but if Manchester United dont manage to sustain a good run of form, it is hard not to imagine Ed Woodward getting moist around the gills at the thought of throwing a lot of money at him. Whether Mo will want that job over and above any other is open to debate, but he will surely have his pick of suitors. Theres talk of Bayern, but given how that club is structured, would it really be a good fit? The other big names are also in the hat, as well as, remarkably, Arsenal. This is really just the start for him.

He has a legacy at Spurs which will be looked back upon fondly by a lot of people for a great many years. The joy he has brought to that club is quite remarkable and be in no doubt, it will go down in the history books as a very important period. They had employed Tim Sherwood before he arrived, but now, given their elevated position, there is not a chance they would make such a choice again.

Hell certainly never have to buy a drink in north London for the rest of his life. Im sure many wish him every success in the future and Im sure we will continue to see much of him over the coming couple of decades.

John Nicholson

Excerpt from:
This is just the start for Mauricio Pochettino, our Hero of the Week... - Football365.com

At the same time that Rudy Giuliani and his now-indicted pals were pushing for President Donald Trump to remove Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch from her post in Ukraine, Trump administration officials were eyeing potential contenders to take over her job.

One of the people in the mix, according to three sources familiar with the discussions, was Pete Sessions, a former congressman who called for Yovanovitchs firing. He is also a longtime ally of the former New York Mayor, and is believed to have been the beneficiary of approximately $3 million in independent expenditures from a PAC funded in part by Giulianis indicted cronies, according to a federal indictment.

Yovanovitch is set to testify to the congressional impeachment inquiry on Nov. 15. The circumstances of her removal from Kyiv are of keen interest to investigators, and she has said the whisper campaign against her left her blindsided. Witnesses in the inquiry have said they believed the people who successfully pushed for her ouster wanted to replace her with someone more pliableand maybe even more friendly to their business interests.

Conversations about Sessionsand another possible pick for the job, Raul Mas Canosa, a South Florida businessman with deep ties to the Cuban expat communitycirculated inside and outside the administration from late 2018 through the early months of 2019, according to the sources. Lev Parnas, a Giuliani associate arrested last month for alleged campaign finance violations, was part of discussions about Mas Canosa with associates in Kyiv, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations. One former State Department official said U.S. diplomats in Kyiv learned Mas Canosa was in contention after a rumor about him circulated in Ukrainian political circles.

A spokesperson for Sessions told The Daily Beast he was not offered the ambassadorship or vetted for it. Mas Canosa confirmed that he was approached about taking the position.

Trump recalled Yovanovitch on April 29 after Giuliani and his allies launched a vociferous campaign against her. Yovanovitch has said she believed the people calling for her ouster wanted to replace her with a new ambassador who would help advance their business interests. Her recall generated rancor from congressional Democrats, who suspected something strange was going on. But instead of replacing her with a political ally, the Trump administration dispatched veteran diplomat Bill Taylor to the embassy there as charg daffaires.

Taylor told Congress he also sensed something was afoot, and came to believe the Trump administration was withholding military aid to pressure the country to investigate former Vice President Joe Bidens son. Democrats are investigating the scheme as part of their impeachment inquiry into Trump. Taylor testified publicly before the inquiry on Nov. 13. Yovanovitch is scheduled to testify on Nov. 15.

Sessions and Giuliani have been allies for more than 15 years, and Sessions has called the former New York mayor a friend. The New York mayor held a $1,000-per-person fundraiser for the Texas Republican in 2002, per New York magazine. And he cut a TV ad for Sessions in the final weeks of his hard-fought 2004 campaign. When theres so much at stake for our country, we need people in Congress with the character to lead, Giuliani said in the ad, according to a story from The Hills archives. Sessions, in turn, endorsed Giulianis unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential bid and urged social conservatives to back him despite his support of abortion rights.

Ten years later, Sessions wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in May 2018 citing concrete evidence from close companions that Yovanovitch had spoken privately and repeatedly about her disdain for the current Administration in a way that might call for the expulsion of her from office.

In an October indictment, federal prosecutors charged Parnas and his business partner, Igor Fruman, with campaign finance violations. Prosecutors allege that the two men acted as straw donors for a foreign government official and gave money to a political action committee that has given up to $3 million to re-elect Congressman-1, widely reported to be Sessions.A Sessions spokesman, however, believes that the committee never used that money to help reelect the Texas Republican. We have found no evidence it was spent, a Sessions spokesman told The Daily Beast.

The indictment alleges that Parnas and Fruman sought Congressman-1s assistance in causing the US. Government to remove or recall the then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. The two allegedly sought Yovanovitchs removal at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials.

Since-deleted Facebook posts show Sessions met with Parnas and Fruman on Capitol Hill on May 9, 2018. He sent the letter calling for the State Department to fire Yovanovitch on the same day.

Since the Ukraine scandal broke, a federal grand jury in New York has subpoenaed Sessions for documents related to his interactions with Giuliani, Parnas, and Fruman, including the effort to have Yovanovitch recalled.

Mas Canosa confirmed to The Daily Beast that he had been approached earlier this year to serve as ambassador to Ukraine but declined to say by whom. He said he has never met Giuliani, Parnas, or Fruman.

I really didnt feel I was a good fit, he said. While I certainly was probably not a top choice, if I had been asked to serve I would have done so out of love of country, period, end of story.

Mas Canosa indicated he had concerns about Yovanovitch.

She was not serving the president well, from what I was told, he said of Yovanovitch.

Mas Canosa, a former Wall Street investment adviser who now runs a firm called Gladius Consulting, would have been an unorthodox pick to replace Yovanovitch. Hes never served as a diplomat, and most of his commentary has focused on Latin American and Cuban politics. His late brother, Jorge Mas Canosa, was a towering figure in Floridas Cuban exile community and anti-Castro politics who founded the Cuban American National Foundation. There appears to be scant public evidence that Mas Canosa has any Ukraine connections.

The campaign to install him didnt get traction, according to one Trump administration official. It was nixed early, the official said.

Despite that, conversations about Mas Canosa spread on Russian-language social media. On May 12, one obscure commentator who goes by the handle @prokhozhij on the Telegram messaging platform wrote that The new US ambassador to Ukraine may be an American businessman of Cuban origin, Raul Mas Canosa.

A little over a week later, the news had spread to more mainstream political commentators, including Taras Berezovets, a television host in Kyiv, Ukraine. On his Telegram channel, he posted that Mas Canosa, who often appears as a commentator on Trumps favorite Fox news channel, was in line to be the next ambassador.

Berezovets told The Daily Beast he first learned about Raul Mas Canosa from my friends in Washington in May.

Mas Canosas nephew Jorge Mas Santos contributed to Giulianis 2008 presidential campaign. And after Trumps election, Mas Canosa told the Spanish-language publication Diario Las Americas that Giuliani deserved a spot in Trumps Cabinet.

During her appearance before the House impeachment inquiry, the Trump National Security Councils former top Russia staffer, Fiona Hill, testified that she was told that these gentlemen, Mr. Parnas, Mr. Fruman, and Mr. [Harry] Sargeant had all been in business with Mr. Giuliani, and that the impression that a number of Ukrainian officials and others had had was that they were interested in seeking business deals in Ukraine. Hill didnt detail what those interests might be. But she said she believed that the reason Yovanovitch had been the target of smear campaign seemed to be business dealings of individuals who wanted to improve their investment positions inside of Ukraine itself.

with additional reporting by Anna Nemtsova

Read the original:
Exclusive: Rudy Ally Pete Sessions Was Eyed for Top Slot in Ukraine - The Daily Beast