Suchergebnisse

Recent news that MPs have collectively benefited from some £2 million of paid-for overseas trips[1] leads to interesting questions over power, influence and our democracy. By far the leading destination was Israel and the Palestinian territories, most commonly (but not exclusively) paid for by pressure groups such as Conservative Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Israel. Large numbers also attended events in Europe, China the Middle East and the USA, in some cases paid for by the governments in question.

Australia is one of the most advanced economies in the Commonwealth and is a large, sophisticated market for British goods. Its institutional set-up bears striking resemblances to that of the UK and there is an extremely large British diaspora living there. Historic trading links are strong. As a result, there are high hopes and expectations that a post-Brexit trade deal can be struck relatively quickly with Australia (and possibly with ASEAN as a whole, which would also open up the New Zealand market).

Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa with a rapidly growing population of some 190 million, in addition to being a major oil producer and exporter. Nigeria is already the 7th most populous country in the world and is projected to overtake the United States of America as the world's third most populous country during the 21st century. Nigeria is a major commodities exporter and is a significant potential market, leading it to be considered a target to grow post-Brexit trade within the Commonwealth. The country has the world's 10th and 9th largest oil and natural gas reserves respectively. Nigeria is the number-one recipient of FDI in Africai, although the country is extremely poor relative to European standards and has problems in infrastructure, power supply and mass unemployment.

As the most populous country in the Commonwealth and one of the largest economies in the world, India is a natural target for enhanced trade and economic links post-Brexit. One of the arguments put forth in favour of Brexit is that the UK should seek to decouple from a "moribund" European economy (often characterised as suffering from "eurosclerosis"). Having done so, the UK would allegedly be freer to engage with the dynamic and rapidly growing economies of Asia. The example of India suggests that this vision may be more challenging to execute than has been envisioned.

This article makes the case for the adoption of a Basic Income in the UK, set at the level of £8,500 per adult and £4,250 per child. In contrast to advocates of more limited measures such as a 'partial basic income', we argue that a relatively generous Basic Income is affordable in the UK and can be paid for via a comprehensive reform of the tax and benefits system. We particularly identify the potential for wealth taxes as addressing any funding shortfall. Moreover, advocates of a limited Basic Income fail to address the fundamental problem of the current system, which is not its unequal nature with limited benefits per se, but its propensity for extreme precarity at short notice. As such, the current Covid-19 pandemic has brutally exposed the shortcomings of a flexible labour market combined with a limited welfare safety net in the UK. We argue this increases the urgency and appeal of a comprehensive Basic Income.

So 2019 turns out to be the year where Brexit looks set to be realised, with Parliament due to vote on Boris Johnson's revised withdrawal agreement to effect a January 31stdeparture from the EU. Accordingly the Government has announced thatthe Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) will be abolished, assumedly with its functions incorporated into the Department for Industry and Trade (DIT) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

There has been much talk in the media recently about the significance of Brexit as a key factor driving the local election results in England on the 3rd May. The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, went so far as to claim that promising to leave the Single Market and Customs Union was a "key part of Tory electoral success". How valid are such claims? To try and answer this, we took a good hard look at local election results in the West Midlands, widely considered to be a bell-weather region for all things Brexit.

In a recent speech, the British Foreign Secretary and leading campaigner for Brexit Boris Johnson, made extensive reference to the work of John Stuart Mill. Johnson's evocation of Mill is problematic on several levels, as is his apparently tenuous grasp of the workings of European and supra-national institutions. On the face of it, Johnson's stated desire for "self-government of the people, by the people, for the people"[1] appears eminently reasonable. Upon closer inspection, however, the contradictions inherent in Johnson's notion of liberalism readily become apparent.

One year on from the opening of the Centre for Brexit Studies we look back on our findings and what we've learned so far. Featuring Centre Director Professor Alex de Ruyter, Research Assistant David Hearne and Communications Officer Jessica Guy.

The next in our series of podcasts from the Centre for Brexit Studies looks back on the most recent round of Roadshows, focusing on how the findings compare from last year's events and what the key issues are for voters from these constituencies. Featuring Centre Director Professor: Alex de Ruyter, Researcher: David Hearne and Communications Officer: Jessica Guy.

As manufacturing finds itself amidst a fourth industrial revolution driven by data and information based services, we ask enterprise information management giants, OpenText for their views on what Brexit adds to the challenge. Featuring OpenText's Industry Strategist for Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Thomas Leeson, Centre for Brexit Studies Director, Professor Alex de Ruyter and Communications Officer, Jessica Guy.

Theresa May's speech today outlined five major conditions that she felt any Brexit deal had to fulfil. She argued first and foremost that any deal must "respect the referendum result". Nevertheless, it is not clear precisely what any given deal must do in order to pass this. In part this is due to the way in which the referendum question was framed: whilst a modest majority of voters voted against remaining in the EU, it is much less clear what, precisely, they were voting for. Whilst migration was of paramount importance for many leave voters, others would perhaps be content to remain within the European Economic Area and Customs Union for the purported economic benefits. For still others, fishing will have been the key issue and for many a, perhaps somewhat amorphous, desire for greater (British) sovereignty or repatriation of powers.

At the Centre, we often focus on quite dry aspects of the Single Market, how any change is likely to affect supply chains in sectors such as automotive, aerospace and many others. However, Brexit will also have an impact on a host of areas that will have a much more prosaic effect on our everyday lives. One issue that we have not discussed in detail is the question of services we use through the EU's Digital Single Market, such as the internet and mobile data roaming whilst abroad.

The Foreign Secretary's visit to Latin America has attracted a great deal of media attention, much of which has been focussed on calls for a "Brexit plane" labelled a "Jumbojo-jet" by some in the media [1]. This follows his criticism of the lack of availability of the existing Voyager aircraft and its colour [2] – presumably because the latter fails to exude sufficient brio and verve. Nevertheless, the substantive issue remains a desire to substantially grow British trade with the region post-Brexit [3].

Alex was interviewed this morning on BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester by Elliott Webb on the issue of "Is it time for a second referendum"? (You can listen here at about 10 minutes into the broadcast) With the resignation of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary following closely after David Davis as Brexit Secretary, there is a sense of increasing disarray in the "Brexit agenda". So, we thought we would give this matter some further discussion.