Tag Archives: Democracy

So as was always a possibility, the High Court has ruled that the government does not have the authority to initiate Britain’s secession from the EU by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty without first winning a vote in Parliament. From the Guardian: Parliament alone has the power to …

MPs do not have a divine right to represent their constituencies forever once selected by their local party, Jeremy Corbyn is quite right to consider mandatory reselection for MPs and all political parties that profess to care about democracy should follow his lead The Telegraph leads today with a breathless …

This failed military coup has achieved the awful outcome of allowing Turkey’s tin pot dictator in gestation, the despicable President Erdogan and his supporters, to pose as champions of the very democracy they are busy subverting Nobody in their right mind usually yearns for a military coup – the violence, confusion, civilian …

The hysterical response of EU officials to Brexit (as opposed to national leaders, who have been more pragmatic and conciliatory) shows why we were right to leave the European Union, and why no lover of democracy should be happy so long as it continues to exist as a supranational government …

Today is the day to vote in the referendum. This is a plea for you to vote, whatever your position. We have a choice as to what sort of future we see for our country. A century ago, British, Commonwealth and other European troops were battling in the trenches to give …

Britain is no longer the sick man of Europe. You could be forgiven for thinking otherwise given the miserable, defeatist Remain rhetoric. It is the Eurozone that is sick. Sacrificed for the dream of a single European polity. France has erupted into riots and social upheaval over some very modest …

This week is it. Your decision time has arrived Britannia. Leave or Stay: what’ll it be? Most Britons have made up their mind by now which way they are going to vote. The polls (if they are to be believed following their poor performance ahead of the 2015 General Election) …

How quickly they forget If there was one country in the world which you might think would understand the importance of democracy, the right to self determination and freedom from unaccountable government, it would be the United States of America. And so it has been particularly depressing to watch politicians and …

Workers’ rights: The UK does not depend on the EU for workers rights. Trade Unions became legal in the UK in 1871; Modern Pensions began in 1908; Holiday Pay was introduced in 1938; Equal pay was introduced in 1970; Race Discrimination Act was introduced in 1965; Sex Discrimination act was …

A careless turn of phrase reveals a poisonous, negative attitude towards Britain held by prominent Remainers and EU apologists What do passionate British europhiles and EU defenders really think about their own country? This question is an eternal puzzle to Brexiteers, who have watched Remainers from the prime minister on down …

Somewhere in Rousseau’s Social Contract is the idea that the whole electorate should vote on everything all the time. This would, of course, have been unworkable even in an eighteenth century city state. If the whole population were to spend every day governing the country, who would do any work? …

The European Union is not a democracy. In-fact, it is anti-democratic. It is founded upon an explicit intention to override popular democracy and neutralise the constraints imposed on government by the electorate. It has its roots in a utopian ideology that envisions a supranational government run by technocrats and officials …

President Obama has urged the UK to remain in the EU, the institution forged from the “ashes of war”. Evocative references to the war made up a strong element of his article in The Telegraph and the “spilled blood” of American soldiers were justification for his interference in the debate. Citing …

“For several decades now it has been fashionable to say that those so-called great men and women are just ephiphenomena, meretricious bubbles on the vast tides of social history. Well, I think the story of Winston Churchill is a pretty withering retort to all that malarkey. He and he alone …

Lately I’ve frequently found myself disagreeing with people I both like and respect. As the EU referendum campaign gets going I find myself more and more drawn to one side of the argument. I wanted to remain more or less neutral for much longer. I wanted to explore the merits …

There will come a time when we perceive Britain – with its traditional global outlook, it’s long history as a merchant and maritime power, with its trade links and special relationships all over the world – becoming part of the European Union as a folly, an historical error. While post-war …

There are a number of central claims to the Remain campaign. They are easily dismantled with the right analysis and the proper arguments. “3.5 million British jobs are directly linked to British membership of the European Union– 1 in 10 British jobs.” It is dishonest to say jobs depend on …