CakeWatch

This week we're looking at background briefings by senior EU sources to UK media, and what those mean for the state of withdrawal negotiations (spoiler: nothing good). There's also a spot of Soft Brexit follow-up, and some huge whopping lies of the week.

The Guardian hears from a senior EU source on how the UK needs to face up to the reality of the decision it has made.

Ivan Rogers' speech at Glasgow University which is full of insight and strongly recommended for all students of Brexit.

Indiana's attempt to legislate pi

Mike ('@Geoelte_Spinne')'s thread about emigrating to Germany

Alyn Smith MEP

Alyn's page on the European Parliament's website

Scotland in Europe

Chris' 2015 blogpost on how progressive politics and civic engagement in the UK could - should - have been given a new lease of life by the EU referendum

Bozzymandias

Special Guest: Alyn Smith.

Directive 1999/56/EC adapting to technical progress Council Directive 78/933/EEC relating to the installation of lighting and light-signalling devices on wheeled agricultural and forestry tractors - Ottolights!

Jonathan Meades on Belgium

Culture Corner:

Popgun Press

Sponsored by Best for Doncaster (which will be a surprise to them)

We welcome potential sponsors - but we don’t want your money! If you represent an organisation that is working to stop Brexit, and you’d like some free publicity, contact us via this website or DM one of us on Twitter.

Intro/outro music: “Going up the Wrong Way” by Bai Kamara Jr, from his album "The Mystical Survivors and Some Rare Earthlings". Available Fnac, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. http://www.baikamara.com

The Schuman Declaration

Taking a break from our usual format, we spend this week talking about the things we love about Europe. A lot of it is quite personal and, well... self-indulgent, so feel free to skip this one if it's not your cup of tea (yes that features). After all: de gustibus non est disputandum.

To squeeze this extra-long episode into a reasonable file size, we've downgraded the audio quality of this week's podcast, we hope it won't impact your listening pleasure to an unacceptable degree!

Links to some of the choices we mention:

The Overton window

Chris Grey's Brexit Blog on how Brexiters would have been happier if they had lost the referendum.

Catherine Bearder's tweet on the rumour that UKIP have been asking about their European Parliament offices during transition

Sponsored by Milton Keynes European Movement - join their events on Europe Day, 9 May!

We welcome potential sponsors - but we don’t want your money! If you represent an organisation that is working to stop Brexit, and you’d like some free publicity, contact us via this website or DM one of us on Twitter.

Intro/outro music: “Going up the Wrong Way” by Bai Kamara Jr, from his album "The Mystical Survivors and Some Rare Earthlings". Available Fnac, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. http://www.baikamara.com

Ahead of next week's local elections in England, Steve and Chris wonder why Labour isn't doing better in the polls, what Labour's Brexit policy really is, and what Labour's strategists are smoking? Also: civic engagement, plastic toffs, and Lie(s) of the Week.

We welcome potential sponsors - but we don’t want your money! If you represent an organisation that is working to stop Brexit, and you’d like some free publicity, contact us via this website or DM one of us on Twitter.

Intro/outro music: “Going up the Wrong Way” by Bai Kamara Jr, from his album "The Mystical Survivors and Some Rare Earthlings". Available Fnac, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. http://www.baikamara.com

Steve’s 'keep the flame alive' article in the Guardian

The Institute for Government's report on "Voting for Brexit: Parliament's consideration of the withdrawal deal and future framework"

Chris' blog piece on what is a eurosceptic

"Accidental" deportations

Club Europ Express special first birthday edition

Please help fund Brexit Record - the only site recording the true impact of Brexit

This episode sponsored by Stratford4Europe

We welcome potential sponsors - but we don’t want your money! If you represent an organisation that is working to stop Brexit, and you’d like some free publicity, contact us via this website or DM one of us on Twitter.

Intro/outro music: “Going up the Wrong Way” by Bai Kamara Jr, from his album "The Mystical Survivors and Some Rare Earthlings". Available Fnac, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. http://www.baikamara.com

Chris' blog post on the West Lothian Question and UK federalism (or lack of).

John Pinder's obituary

Altiero Spinelli

The Ventotene Manifesto

Guy Verhofstadt and Dany Cohn-Bendit's manifesto "There Is No Alternative To A Federal Europe"

Chris' table comparing EU and UK democratic accountability

Steve's Twitter thread, unrolled, on the threat to UK democracy

Unicorn Chaser

We welcome potential sponsors - but we don’t want your money! If you represent an organisation that is working to stop Brexit, and you’d like some free publicity, contact us via this website or DM one of us on Twitter.

Intro music: “Going up the Wrong Way” by Bai Kamara Jr, from his album "The Mystical Survivors and Some Rare Earthlings". Available Fnac, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. http://www.baikamara.com

Special outro music courtesy of Jon Worth, Anders Ekberg, and Malena Britz.

Laura Shields' (@mediawhizz) thread exposing the lie about citizen rights being protected by the Vienna Convention

The Smart Border 2.0 study commissioned by the European Parliament

Analysis of the Withdrawal Agreement and transition arrangements by Steve Peers here and by David Allen Green here (NB FT is paywalled)

REM: Exhuming McCarthy

Clip of Joseph Welch’s “Have you no sense of decency” reply to Joseph McCarthy

Edward R. Murrow’s annihilation of McCarthy, that applies as much to opponents of Brexit as opponents of McCarthyism.

We welcome potential sponsors - but we don’t want your money! If you represent an organisation that is working to stop Brexit, and you’d like some free publicity, contact us via this website or DM one of us on Twitter.

Main intro/outro music: “Going up the Wrong Way” by Bai Kamara Jr, from his album "The Mystical Survivors and Some Rare Earthlings". Available Fnac, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. http://www.baikamara.com

Speech by Dany Cohn Bendit in the European Parliament - featuring le beurre et l'argent du beurre but not le cul de la cremière

Speech by Alyn Smith in the European Parliament

The most mendacious video of all time courtesy of Leave.EU

Steve's article in Prospect

Chris' blog post on how negotiations ought to work (yes we're linking to it again)

Thanks for vox pops from @jonworth, @BrusselsGeek, anon, @DaveKeating, @nwbrux, @jackschickler, @MarkJohnstonLD - Chris apologises to Jen and anon for swapping their marks out of ten

We welcome potential sponsors - but we don’t want your money! If you represent an organisation that is working to stop Brexit, and you’d like some free publicity, contact us via this website or DM one of us on Twitter.

Main intro/outro music: “Going up the Wrong Way” by Bai Kamara Jr, from his album "The Mystical Survivors and Some Rare Earthlings". Available Fnac, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. http://www.baikamara.com