On 22nd January, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel signed a treaty of friendship in the German city of Aachen (Aix la Chapelle). This was exactly 56 years after the Elysée Treaty of 1963, which marked the end of Franco-German animosity and began a new era of mutual support and friendship. This […]
European Union
Brexit Update: Where Are We Now?
Last week was quite possibly one of the most dramatic in the process of Britain leaving Europe so far, with Theresa May’s proposed Brexit Deal rejected by MPs in the biggest defeat a Prime Minister has ever had. The following day, however, May’s government survived a no-confidence vote on the 16th January, demonstrating that although […]
Threat Posed to Exeter Research Funding From a ‘No Deal’ Brexit
The University of Exeter could lose millions of pounds of European Union research funding as a result of Brexit, new analysis reveals. A key fund which could be cut includes the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, which supports many projects in the region, including research into sustainable energy and lung disease prevention. With £1 billion […]
The Name Game: Understanding the Macedonian Issue
Amidst a world climate wracked with political uncertainties, exacerbated by the ever-present Donald Trump and his adversary Kim Jon-un, a twenty-five-year dispute over something as trivial as a name should be low on the to-do list of the current Greek government and yet it remains at the top of Parliament’s agenda. In the same week […]
Leaving the single market will be Britain’s single biggest mistake
Since Theresa May’s coronation in July, her main task has been to deal with Brexit, which she has been less than transparent about. These months have been filled with fear and anxiety for those of us who voted remain or regret our vote to leave. For most, the last shred of hope has been the idea […]
All hail 2017?
The end of 2016 was welcomed with open arms across the globe. Defined by the unexpected victories of Donald Trump and Brexit, the world witnessed an unprecedented growth of populism. 2017 holds its own set of unknown possibilities. Elections across some of the most influential European countries all have the potential to continue and expand […]
2016: a political autopsy
It turns out the Mayans weren’t exactly wrong, just off by four years, as 2016 has seen Brexit, Trump, and with it, the end of humanity as we know it. Hyperbole aside, 2016 has undeniably offered some political surprises that few had seen coming. Brexit had never really been taken seriously as a possibility until it […]
Article 50: what to expect
Brexit: the word that divided a country. Britain’s departure from the European Union has always felt like a distant possibility but, following her announcement at the Conservative Conference, Theresa May has ensured that it is now a not-too-distant reality. May announced that she will trigger Article 50, the start of two years of negotiations with the […]
What next for UKIP?
A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of Brexit. At least, that is what other European populist leaders hope, until it is stamped out à la German communism in 1919. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, confirmed this summer that this was to be so: “The chain reaction being celebrated everywhere now by Eurosceptics […]
#TheUKDecides: The sound and fury of Brexit
And so a star has been removed from the blue European flag, with 51.9 per cent of Britons voting to rescind a 43-year membership of the EU. The night before Brexit, storm clouds roamed the south coast of England in almost pathetic fallacy, a reflection of the impending economic and political chaos to come. Over […]