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Burnham reopened the divisive Brexit debate by saying his centre-left Labour government could go "all the way" and propose membership of the bloc as one possible way to boost relationships with Europe.

Right-wing rivals immediately criticised the comments, as the UK appeared to be gearing up for a re-run of the bitter "Brexit wars" that dominated politics after the contentious 2016 vote to leave the European Union.

Burnham, premier since July after Labour MPs turfed out Keir Starmer, told his party's annual conference in Manchester on Tuesday that Britain's departure in 2020 had done "more harm than good".

Brexit had triggered "a decade of low growth" and the country must "decide on a long-term relationship" with its largest trading partner, he said.

Burnham promised to set out "different options" closer to a planned summit with the 27-member bloc later this year.

Possibilities that could be looked at included joining the European single market and customs union, "or we could go all the way", Burnham told BBC radio on Wednesday.

"We have to look at what is doable, and what would be the pros and cons of each" option, he added.

Macron, speaking in Madrid after talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, welcomed the idea.

"If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans," Macron said.

"Come back," he added.

Sanchez echoed Macron's comments, saying if the UK asks to rejoin "then of course Spain would applaud it and open its arms again to a brotherly people".

European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said it was for London to chart a way forward.

"We remain open to engaging on the options it may put forward," he said.

Brexit polls

Britain's right-wing Conservative party took the country out of the EU after Britons voted to leave by 52 percent to 48 percent.

A poll by Survation in June found that 55 percent of voters would opt to rejoin if a referendum was held again.

"I think Burnham is recognising the widespread view in the country that Brexit has failed," David Henig, an expert on UK-EU relations, told AFP.

Burnham is currently bound by Starmer's 2024 election-winning manifesto which ruled out joining a customs union, going back into the single market or allowing the return of freedom of movement with the EU.

He suggested to broadcaster ITV that if public opinion is "pointing towards" backing re-entry into the bloc, he might commit to another referendum in Labour's next election manifesto.

The next general election is not expected until 2029.

'Divisive'

Sandro Gozi, a European lawmaker who chairs a parliamentary initiative on EU-UK relations, told AFP Burnham's willingness to explore options offered a "historic opportunity" for the European Union.

But Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank, was more cautious.

"All he seems to have said is: 'We'll have a conversation about it now'. There are quite a few people in his cabinet who would not want to see him spending a lot of time and effort dealing with Europe," he told AFP.

Richard Tice, deputy leader of the anti-EU Reform UK party, said Burnham was "trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door".

Public opinion appeared mixed on the streets of Manchester, during the party conference there.

Dougie Brown, a 38-year-old composer, warned: "It will be divisive again.

"I think there's so many other things we need to be sorting out rather than fighting about whether we're in the EU or not."

But stall owner Sally Jones, 52, said: "I'd like us to fully rejoin. I don't think there should be restrictions on travel for people. People coming to this country and us into Europe."

Reform criticism

Burnham has previously said he hoped Britain would return to the EU within his lifetime.

But during his successful campaign to return to parliament in June and replace Starmer in Downing Street, he insisted he did not want to "rerun" the Brexit debate.

The UK-EU summit may now be held in November, but no date has been confirmed.

Negotiations are believed to have stalled over British concerns about the EU's "Made in Europe" plans to protect certain industries.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20260930-uk-pm-burnham-reopens-divisive-debate-on-rejoining-eu?dicbo=v2-PEHTPnF

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

         RABID ATHEIST.

         WELCOME TO THIS INSANE WORLD….

 

 

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpNY2KfF92k&t=83s

Our Little Sausage Problem | Yes, Minister: 1984 Christmas Special | BBC Comedy Greats

les nouvelles....

French students set fire to bins and erected blockades outside schools in several cities, protesting against overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and crumbling facilities.

Several school principals were injured, harassed or assaulted during blockades at high schools on Thursday, according to reports from regional education authorities, prefectures and union representatives.

Riot police have lined up against the students, and the force has launched internal probes after accusations of brutality against three pupils, said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.

Police have already detained hundreds of protesters at the lycées, which students aged 15 to 18 attend for their final three years of secondary education in France.

In ​the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, crowds of young people massed in front of a line of police. One student ​held up a sign that read: "Can we explain ourselves without being teargassed?"

The interior ministry said police and gendarmes had made 1,949 arrests on Thursday, while 305 officers had been injured. Nunez condemned what he described as "unbridled violence".

Hundreds held, dozens wounded as French school protests escalate....

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting in the afternoon, asking his ministers to cancel their travel plans over the coming days due to the blockades led by high school students in order to let prefects handle the situation, his entourage reported.

The government said the demonstrations had become "urban violence" and cited the intelligence service to justify claims that it had been organised by the radical left.

Manuel Bompard, a leading figure in the left-wing France Unbowed party (LFI), quickly dismissed the claim, accusing the government of "sinking into conspiratorial thinking".

"LFI has always advocated non-violent demonstrations," LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard told BFM TV after a readout of the crisis meeting was shared with reporters.

"The government, by turning it into a political battle, has added fuel to the fire by insulting and repressing high school students," he added.

"This sense of frustration will not be dealt with through batons; it will be dealt with by showing ‌consideration for these young people," he said.

This latest wave of social unrest comes with tensions already running high over inflation, particularly soaring fuel prices – and just seven months away from France's presidential election, where opinion polls suggest far-right leader Marine Le Pen is the frontrunner.

A security source said there had been 900 blockades or related incidents across the country on Thursday.

More than 160 schools were shut down, and university students joined the protests in Paris, Marseille and other cities.

And the authorities in the Paris region said around 50 schools had been "the scene of violence, clashes and damage".

'It's unbearable'

Since last week, pupils have staged protests outside schools over a range of grievances. They range from timetables, class sizes and a shortage of teachers to overheated classrooms during this year's heatwaves.

The protests have spread across the country from the Paris suburbs.

University students also joined in Thursday, blocking access to around 30 campuses, a student union said.

Among reports of school staff being targeted was one incident in the southern port city of Marseille when a school principal and his deputy were inadvertently splashed with petrol as protesters were trying to fill containers.

In the northwestern city of Nantes, firefighters had to intervene to extinguish a fire in the entrance of a high school "following a gathering marked by violence towards staff", the regional education board said.

Authorities reported violence near high schools, mainly in Nantes, blaming "violent individuals" who "join the students to carry out acts of vandalism".

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20261001-hundreds-of-students-detained-dozens-of-officers-injured-in-french-school-protests

 

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Eiffel Tower chief to step down over removal of women staff during Hindu group's visit

The head of the Eiffel Tower is set to step down in the wake of a controversy sparked by the removal of female workers during a private visit of the Paris landmark by members of the Hindu sect BAPS, which triggered a staff walkout earlier this month and sparked outrage in France.

The operating company that runs the Eiffel Tower said Tuesday its chief would step down at the end of this year in the wake of a controversy over the removal of women staff during a visit by a Hindu religious group.

Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has been in charge of the Paris landmark since 2018, would leave his job at the end of the year after an internal probe revealed that "operational flaws and shortcomings" in organising the visit led to the "unacceptable" removal of women staff, the company SETE said in a statement.

Staff at the iconic 330-metre (1,083-foot) tower staged a walkout on September 8 in protests at management's decision days earlier to sideline female workers during a visit by members of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.

The group, known as BAPS, is a worldwide religious and civic organisation within the Swaminarayan sect, a conservative branch of Hinduism, with ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It had been holding celebrations to mark the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple near the French capital.

The incident sparked outrage in France, prompting politicians of all stripes to denounce an attack on fundamental liberties, and attracting scrutiny of BAPS's activities.

In a statement after the incident, the Hindu group offered "sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation".

Ariel Weil, chair of SETE, said Tuesday she had requested measures and training programmes promoting gender equality to be implemented. 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260929-eiffel-tower-chief-to-step-down-over-removal-of-women-staff-during-hindu-group-visit-baps

 

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PLEASE VISIT:

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

         RABID ATHEIST.

         WELCOME TO THIS INSANE WORLD….