Democracy & Citizenship

This week I found myself in one of the leafier parts of the stock-broker belt, giving an after-lunch talk on the Brexit process. As we pushed the meat-and-two-veg around the plates of the clubhouse, I listened to tales of how the Germans were trying to do what they didn’t manage in the world wars, and […]

DATELINE 6 JUNE 2018: Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has been criticised this week for rejecting a House of Lords amendment for Britain to remain a member of the EEA (European Economic Area) after Brexit. Instead, Mr Corbyn said Labour would push for a ‘new Single Market’ deal with the EU, giving Britain full access but without […]

By Caroline McEvoy (University College Dublin) What influences public support for or trust of the European Union (EU)? Political scholars continue to grapple with this precise question, which is especially relevant for our contemporary politics. The change in public attitudes towards the EU over the past two decades is striking. In 2013 only 31 per cent […]

Both the Prime Minister, Theresa May​, and the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn​, are offering the people the same thing. Cake. They both think that it’s possible for us to have a cake and eat it. That’s their answer to Brexit, and it just shows how little they understand about cake… or how the EU functions. […]

Somewhere in Whitehall, there’s a small office. In it, a bright young thing is working hard on Brexit. As the afternoon sun bounces down to the tiny window that provides the only fresh air, a spark flares up in the bright young thing’s mind. They dash down the corridor to their line manager, bursting through […]

The Tory government is still entirely split on what type of Brexit Britain should have. And if the government can’t now agree on what Brexit means, how on earth could the electorate have known what Brexit meant on 23 June 2016? This weekend the Tory-supporting Telegraph reported that: ‘At least a dozen members of Theresa […]

It’s reported that police are investigating evidence that the chief executive of a key organisation that campaigned for Brexit allegedly committed criminal offences during the 2016 referendum. This comes after the Electoral Commission fined Leave.EU the maximum £70,000 for multiple breaches of electoral rules. The organisation is backed by Nigel Farage and funded by Arron […]

As we enter a period of heightened debate about customs arrangements, it’s useful to consider who holds what power in the Article 50 process. As rational choice bods like to tell us, the more people who hold vetoes, the harder it is to please them all and more chance there is of non-agreement. However, in […]

Nobody gave ‘informed consent’ for Brexit. That’s because, in the 2016 referendum, the electorate was not sufficiently informed. There was no blueprint, plan, proposal or manifesto for Brexit. And there still isn’t. The Tory Cabinet is entirely split on what type of Brexit Britain should have. And if the government can’t now agree on what […]

One year after the disastrous TV debate, where does the Front National stand in spring 2018? One year ago, on 3 May 2017, I watched the final debate between the two remaining candidates for French presidency. It turned out to be the most curious ‘Surreality TV show’ ever on French television. It was almost as […]