In a period of economic and political crisis, political rhetoric varies and blame shifting increases (Boin, Hart and McConnell, 2009). By looking at the ‘crisis’ period in Greece (2009-2015) and the parliamentary bailout debates we argue that when it comes to ‘who should we blame’, the discourse moves towards the form of ‘historical blame shifting’, which does not only focus on blaming the external enemy but mainly blaming previous governments for colliding with the external enemy (Ladi and Tsagkroni, 2019).
The fitful progress of Brexit produces natural rhythms of activity. The summer lull, followed by the autumn rush/panic. Hard to believe that less than a year ago we were having the Salzburg summit and wondering whether any text of a Withdrawal Agreement could be produced at all. Simple times. And now we get to look […]
According to the government’s own in-depth assessments, every version of Brexit will make us worse off. But their ‘leaked’ Yellowhammer report has revealed that a no-deal Brexit will wreak the greatest havoc. It will also put into jeopardy our own union of the United Kingdom. And still, no one can properly answer why on earth […]
The latest opinion poll confirms what a long line of consecutive polls have been saying for over two years: Britain does NOT want Brexit. This week, YouGov asked a representative sample of voters to imagine that the final outcome of Brexit was Britain having a new referendum and voting to remain in the EU after […]
It was 58 years ago today – on 17 August 1961 – that the Communist East German government completed the construction of the Berlin Wall. The wall split the city of Berlin in half, brutally dividing families and friends, until 28 years later, on 9 November 1989. On that eventful day, the people of Berlin […]
Before the referendum campaign, the Tory government flagged up three different versions of Brexit. If you’re a Leave voter, which one did you vote for? The fact is that Leave voters didn’t opt for any specific version of Brexit. Each option wasn’t even properly discussed during the campaign, let alone put on the ballot paper. […]
Emma Sabzalieva Institutions and major institutional change Institutional theories and concepts offer valuable insights into stability and incremental change within institutions. In higher education, Clark’s (2004) notion of a ‘steady state of institutional change’ (169) neatly encapsulates this idea. However, far less consideration has been given to the transformative potential of higher education both to […]
Late last year the European Court of Justice turned upside down claims by Tory ministers that it was too late to stop Brexit. The Court’s judgement was that the UK can unilaterally revoke its Article 50 notice and remain in the EU on exactly the same membership terms as now. The ruling means that the UK can do a […]
Brexiters often say that the referendum result is a done deal and cannot be changed. But that’s not how our democracy works. Yes, the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 became law in June last year. The then International Trade Minister, Liam Fox, said at the time: “Lest anyone is in any doubt, the chances of […]
As an EU member, the UK currently participates in around 40 excellent free trade agreements with over 70 countries, with more on the way, on advantageous terms that Britain is unlikely ever to replicate after Brexit. Because the EU is the world’s richest, biggest single trading bloc, and the world’s biggest exporter and importer of […]
