March 29th 2017 will be remembered as the day the UK officially triggered Article 50 of the European Constitution, signifying a two year slog to disentangle itself from the European Union. I have no intention of browsing the glorifying headlines on the front pages of the UK tabloids. I’ll let the Brexiteers rejoice in their […]
Brexit
EU Citizens and Brexit: “Leave if You Want to, The Expat’s Not For Leaving.”
The title of this post paraphrases something Margaret Thatcher said during the 1980 Conservative Party Conference. Having been asked on several occasions by the media whether she would perform a U-turn concerning her economic and social policies, she had always replied that she wasn’t one to change her mind. At the conference she spoke a […]
Socrates in the House of Lords: What is Democracy and Does Theresa May Believe in it?
The fact that Theresa May, the UK prime minister, made an unprecedented appearance in the House of Lords speaks volumes over her respect for parliamentary democracy. It is now patently clear that the EU referendum that took place on June 23rd 2016 was flawed ever since the former prime minister, David Cameron, promised the vote […]
Tony Blair’s Appeal Not to Rush Brexit – But Was he Partially to Blame For it in The First Place?
In October 2016 the former UK premier Tony Blair wrote an opinion article in The New European newspaper. He appealed to the UK not to rush into Brexit without seriously taking into account the consequences of such a decision. Tony Blair compared Brexit with a house move. For the former prime minister, it is only […]
Caught Between The Lines: The Fate of British and EU Expats Post-Brexit
This week, the UK parliament approved a bill giving Theresa May the authority to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, in accordance with the EU referendum result on June 23rd last year. Seven months on, and the fate of EU nationals living and working in the UK, as well as British nationals in other […]
Gevangen Tussen de Lijnen: Het Lot van Britse Burgers in de EU en EU Burgers in het VK
What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes. – Cicero Deze week heeft het Britse parlement de eerste stap genomen om het Artikel 50 van het Verdrag van Lissabon te kunnen activeren. Het is nu bijna acht maanden geleden dat het Verenigd Koninkrijk de beslissing heeft genomen de Europese Unie te verlaten. […]
Aristotle And The Titanic: “Mayday, Theresa!!”
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There are 3 different kinds of “Brexits”, and 3 ways you can spell “Brussels”[/perfectpullquote] Now that she knows where the bathrooms are in number 10 (I’m assuming that there is more than one), it’s down to business for Theresa May. She really got us going with her […]
Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Theresa May in Conversation: A Cup of British Tea and a Swiss Roll by Lake Geneva
Shortly after the EU referendum, Theresa May decided to spend a few days in Switzerland. What a coincidence that this country is part of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), but not the European Economic Area (EEA). EEA/EFTA: RUOK? Complicated? Yes, it sure is. Luckily Google can help me out. Let’s start with the EFTA: […]
“What’s up Doc?” – The UK’s Allergic Reaction to Brexit
I thought, at first, that in endorsing the UK parliament’s right to vote for the triggering of Article 50, the High Court ruling was a good thing. Having heard Theresa May’s views that it wouldn’t change her timetable or attitude, and other politicians saying that they were going to vote for Brexit anyway, has made […]