EU referendum
Don’t let them lie: how we can start holding political advertising to account
Politicians have always lied, writes Alex Parsons, and claims we have entered an era of ‘post-truth politics’ are themselves misleading. Nonetheless, efforts to hold political advertising to account in Britain have failed because of the lack of party consensus on the issue. While commercial advertising can be banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, it has […]
So much for #pencilgate: the referendum wasn’t rigged – but Britain’s electoral machinery needs fine-tuning
Despite widespread fears to the contrary, the EU referendum passed off without major problems. But the vote revealed underlying problems with Britain’s electoral system – most notably the difficulty of registering to vote. Toby S James and Alistair Clark, authors of a new report by the Electoral Commission on the quality of electoral administration at […]
In a divided Britain, the pro-EU movement will have to be clear about what it wants
The Brexit vote has thrown different conceptions of democracy into sharp relief. Some are horrified at the conduct of the referendum campaign; others see the result as the revealed will of the people. Luke Temple uses tweets from the March for Europe event on 3 September to show how these views clash. He concludes that the pro-EU movement needs a clear aim if […]
The people have spoken. Or have they? Doing referendums differently after the EU vote
Referendums have become a central feature of our politics, writes Will Brett. In this extract from the Electoral Reform Society‘s report on the lessons learned from the Brexit vote, he sets out the shortcomings of the EU referendum and proposes how to improve the quality of debate next time – including intervention when campaigners make misleading […]
Delaying the countdown to Brexit: A cost-benefit analysis
Following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, a great deal of attention has focused on when the country will choose to begin its exit negotiations. Richard Rose writes that there are both pros and cons for the British government in pushing back the negotiations. A delay would allow the government to arrive at a […]
Is there still a point to UKIP? The future of British Euroscepticism post-Brexit
The United Kingdom Independence Party is in the process of appointing a new leader, following the resignation of Nigel Farage after the EU referendum. Simon Usherwood writes that in many respects the British Eurosceptic movement is now at a crossroads, having achieved its aim via the referendum, but still wanting to maintain a presence in British […]
‘I want my country back’: Emotion and Englishness at the Brexit ballotbox
The three phases of Brexit – campaign, referendum, aftermath – have revealed three urgent problems, writes Russell Foster: the lack of public faith in establishment politics, the emotional deficit of the EU, and the return of English nationalism. All three stages of Brexit have been characterised by contempt, anger and despair unseen in recent British politics […]
The UK’s referendum and post-fact politics: How can campaigners be held accountable for their claims?
Both sides of the UK’s EU referendum campaign were criticised for presenting misleading information to the public. Alan Renwick, Matthew Flinders and Will Jennings write that the referendum highlighted the inability of the British political system to enforce standards of factual accuracy in how politicians campaign. They argue that while legal or regulatory changes could alter […]
Post-war fantasies and Brexit: the delusional view of Britain’s place in the world
Claims about Britain’s past were made regularly in the referedum debate. But assertions about Britain’s historical place in the world – courageously standing alone, being outnumbered and outgunned but in the end outperforming everyone – are not based on fact, writes Mike Finn. These myths could nonetheless have very real consequences: this is the self-image that the […]
Wales and the Brexit vote: a case of turkeys voting for Christmas?
Wales voted leave by a margin of 52.5 per cent. It is an interesting case study of how people voted against their own material self interest, to increase their precarity, and to become even poorer than they already are, writes Daniel Evans. Before the referendum, he also predicted that that the EU could become a scapegoat for […]
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