Commentary by Louis VIS During the UK’s EU referendum campaign, many argued that a Brexit vote would put the country’s universities at risk. Last month, the University of Oxford became the first UK University to top a global league table. So what can explain Oxford’s success? The key to this is that Brexit has not … More What Will Brexit Mean for UK Universities?
Commentary by Louis VIS In a recent series of articles on Euroscepticism, I demonstrated that the United Kingdom was the European Union’s most Eurosceptic Member State. In light of these findings, I also tried to explain that ultimately a mix of political, social and cultural factors are also needed to fully explain people’s perception of … More Why is the UK so Eurosceptic?
Commentary by Louis VIS Had it not been for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil not much news would have happened. Who could complain? Yet whilst the world had turned its attention to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, a few politicians managed to make headlines and ruin the Brazilian party. On Monday, the … More The Olympic Games: Challenging Identity
Commentary by Danaë LAZARI The effect of Brexit on the island of Ireland was an issue which received relatively little attention in both campaigns in the run up to the EU referendum. Nevertheless it is an issue with substantial significance. Northern Ireland is likely to be hardest hit by Brexit, and this has severe political and … More Brexit and Northern Ireland
Commentary by Louis VIS It has been a bad week for the United Kingdom but it could still get worse. Across the continent, European far-right parties have celebrated Brexit and called for other Member States to follow suit. The international repercussions of Brexit and how these will shape the Brexit negotiations should therefore not be … More Brexit: A View from Across the Channel
Tomorrow up to 46 million eligible voters will go to the polls to answer the question: “Should the UK remain a member of the European Union, or leave the European Union?”. In light of tomorrow’s significance, we have suspended our updates for this week and aim to prepare a special issue on the outcome of … More Your Vote Matters
The EU Debates: National Referendum Specials EU Referendum – The Great Debate: David Dimbleby, Mishal Husain and Emily Maitlis present the biggest debate of the EU referendum campaign live from the SSE Arena in Wembley, London. How Should I Vote? – The EU Debate: Live from Glasgow, Victoria Derbyshire hosts a debate on the issues that matter to … More EU Referendum Debates
Commentary by Louis VIS On Sunday morning, I went to attend the recording of BBC Points West’s EU Referendum debate in Bristol. By the end of the debate, I was left deeply disappointed by the fact that the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign had managed to make so many inaccurate claims, that the ‘Britain Stronger in Europe’ campaign … More EU Referendum: Myth Busting
Commentary by Louis VIS Last week, the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign started its official tour of the UK in the South West. On its shining new bus, ironically made in Germany, were the words: ‘We send the EU £35 million a week. Let’s fund our NHS instead. Let’s take back control’. Three sentences. Three misrepresentations. And … More Making an Informed Decision on 23rd June 2016
Analysis by Alex IRELAND There is currently a lot of misinformation and confusion about how the UK’s membership of the EU affects its ability to negotiate trade deals, and especially its ability to do so in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). A lot of commentators claim that the UK has surrendered its place in the WTO … More What’s the Deal with Britain, the EU, and the WTO?
Commentary by Louis VIS In 36 days, British citizens will vote in a referendum that will decide whether the United Kingdom will remain or leave the European Union. This article will look back at the UK’s historical relationship with the EU and explain that voting to remain is the best way for Britain to avoid … More Brexit: Learning From Past Mistakes
Commentary by Gabriella ATKINS Following Alex Ireland’s article last week, we thought an analysis of the concept of Parliamentary Sovereignty in Britain might be useful to some readers given it is a cornerstone of the Brexit debate. The principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty is one of the three foundations upon which the UK constitution rests. The … More Parliamentary Sovereignty
Commentary by Gabriella ATKINS It seems that every day the news contains another story focusing on another politician’s declaration of their stance in the run up to the Referendum on 23rd June 2016. In light of this barrage of information, we’ve put together a quick guide to some of the key players on both sides of … More The Brexit Hokey Cokey: Who’s in, out and Shaking it all About?
Commentary by Louis VIS Reading the British press one could easily be forgiven for thinking the European Union (EU) was nothing more than a terrible nightmare. However, with a referendum on whether the United Kingdom (UK) should stay or leave the EU only months away, this is worrying. Indeed, by forgetting to highlight, or worse by … More What are the Benefits of the UK’s European Union Membership?
Analysis by Gabriella ATKINS At midday yesterday (2nd February 2016), European Council President Donald Tusk presented a proposal for ‘a new settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union’. After months of behind-the-scenes negotiation, Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the proposal as ‘something worth fighting for’ arguing he would support Britain joining the EU on … More Time to Define the Relationship: An Analysis of the Draft Deal
Young Europeans Network 