EU referendum
The ‘Britain Alone’ scenario: how Economists for Brexit defy the laws of gravity
There is a degree of consensus among economists that a Brexit will make us worse off. The exception is recent work by Economists for Brexit. Their forecast of income gains from Brexit contrasts with all other economic analysis, explain Thomas Sampson, Swati Dhingra, Gianmarco Ottaviano and John Van Reenen. Similar PostsThe question is not whether […]
Laws born out of trauma: in defence of the EU’s conception of human rights
With both the EU and human rights demonised in public discourse, Catherine Dupré sets out to redeem the concepts from their critics. She argues that the EU’s conception of human rights, as codified in its Charter of Fundamental Rights, defines a set of absolute rights borne out of wartime trauma and transcending the limitations of a conception of […]
How the major parties will face the EU referendum
Kenneth Bunker looks at the state of the major parties as they head into the EU referendum campaign, and assesses what different results might mean for each of them. Similar PostsLearning the lessons: What other referendums can teach us about the EU voteEuropean elections 2019: what will happen in England’s South East?European elections 2019: what […]
Democracy Matters: Why we need ‘A Better Referendum’
Matthew Flinders argues that the EU referendum debate has been divisive and struggled to move beyond over-simplistic economic debates and a politics of pessimism. He writes that making this choice in an increasingly uncertain world demands a more creative and supported approach to public engagement and the provision of information than has so far been apparent, and points […]
Is it really that difficult to find women to talk about the EU Referendum?
The significant absence of expert women’s voices from media debates and academic events related to the EU Referendum has been widely reported. Roberta Guerrina, Toni Haastrup, Katharine Wright share a list of women EU experts and argue there are in fact many women voices on these issues and they are not difficult to find. More work needs to […]
What the UK could learn from Ireland’s EU referendum campaigns
Ireland has held several referendums on EU issues, with both the Treaty of Nice and the Treaty of Lisbon being rejected by the electorate, before subsequently being approved in second referendums. Gavin Barrett outlines five lessons the British government could learn from the Irish experience, including the feasibility of the UK holding its own second […]
A vote in favour of Brexit could have serious implications for English football
This time last year, he was a relatively unknown footballer in France’s top flight, Ligue 1. Now, he is a celebrated midfielder, the dynamo of Leicester City’s unlikely run to the top of England’s Premier League. And this time next year – well, who knows? N’Golo Kante may have just made his debut for the […]
The referendum isn’t about anyone’s lab. It’s about democracy
The decision by Universities UK to campaign for Remain has had a chilling effect on academic freedom in Britain’s universities, argue Christopher Bickerton and Lee Jones. Pro-EU sentiment has stifled debate about the real impact leaving the EU would have on academic work. Scientists, in particular, have warned that leaving would doom their research. In fact, a Brexit might […]
Are extroverts more Eurosceptic? How personalities shape attitudes toward the EU
What determines the attitudes of citizens toward the EU? Based on a recent study, Bert Bakker assesses the impact that different types of personality have on EU attitudes. He finds that when survey evidence is compared, there is a clear link between different traits, such as extroversion and agreeableness, and views on the EU. Similar […]
Theresa May’s case for withdrawal from the ECHR: Politically astute, legally dubious, constitutionally naïve
Theresa May belongs to the Remain camp, yet favours leaving the ECHR. Mark Elliott analyses the arguments she has put forward to justify this position, and writes that although May’s position might be politically savvy, it turns upon legally specious distinctions between the EU and ECHR legal regimes, and is ultimately undermined by its constitutional naivety. […]
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