Groningen, a.d. X Kal. Nov. MMDCCLXXII A.U.C., Throughout the West we see political parties are in decline. Fewer voters trust them to do the right thing, they attract fewer members, they attract less involvement overall, and fewer people show up at election time to support one or the other party. This is part of a... Continue Reading →
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of Brexit
Oslo, the first Óðinsdagr of mörsugur, in the 28th year of the reign of King Harald V, Despite Brexit, many Brexiteers maintain that the United Kingdom will maintain excellent ties with the with the EU and its member states. The UK is supposed to regain its sovereignty, but this should not mean that close cooperation... Continue Reading →
Brexit Schizophrenia
Amsterdam, a.d. III Id. Oct. MMDCCLXXI A.U.C., The Conservative party in the UK runs a serious risk of splitting into two different parties. While combining populism with an economically right-wing programme has a long pedigree, the situation the Conservative party finds itself in is more fraught with risk than that. Having been the party of free trade... Continue Reading →
The Irony of Brexit: How Brexit is Exacerbating the Democratic Deficit
Leiden, Id. Mar. MMDCCLXX A.U.C., As I discussed in earlier posts the European Union suffers from a democratic deficit. The main reason for this is that governments negotiate directly with each other and the European Commission, while European Parliament is relatively weak compared to the national governments and the European Commission, and national parliaments do not... Continue Reading →