Free Republic

The new European Commission has rejected the UK Government’s call to set up an independent body to scrutinize EU regulation and impact assessments before and after legislative proposals are adopted by the executive. Jean-Claude Juncker’s spokeswoman, Natasha Bertaud, told EurActiv that impact assessments would remain an internal matter before proposals were adopted. Frans Timmermans, Juncker’s choice for the new post of vice president in charge of better regulation, would ensure their quality, she said, after pointing to EU treaties governing Commission procedures. Currently, research on the impact of regulation is looked over by an internal Commission department. It is then...

On the eve of the vote for Scottish independence, Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch explained that the election is merely a symptom of an ”anti-establishment groundswell” sweeping through the Western world. On Friday Murdoch spoke about the impending vote with Fox News’s Neil Cavuto. “I think there’s meaning in this, and I think it goes beyond Scotland,” he said via phone. “There’s a great anti-establishment groundswell which is seen in this vote in Scotland. You’re seeing it here in Britain in the anti-European party, whose one single issue is to get out of Europe. And I think you’re seeing it...

After carefully avoiding taking a side on the issue, former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray changed course Thursday and signaled his support for Scottish independence on the day of the historic vote. The Scottish player sent out a post on Twitter early Thursday, just hours ahead of the polls opening on the referendum to break away from the United Kingdom. Murray indicated that negative campaigning by the anti-independence side had made up his mind in favor of secession. He tweeted to his 2.7 million followers: ''Huge day for Scotland today! no campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on...

After a few days of relatively small changes, most bookies have changed their odds on a Scottish Yes vote.Of 23 bookies, only one (Betway) thought it more likely than yesterday that Scotland would vote Yes, while all but two showed odds shortening on a No vote.By doing some simple maths it is possible to work out the implied percentages, and betting companies have their money firmly on a No vote. The median probability across 23 bookies is that there is an 83.3 per cent chance the UK will stay together and a 22.2 per cent chance of a split.This...