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British Politics

September 16, 2022

Nostalgia and anti-nostalgia in the Brexit narrative

Francesca Melhuish We often consider nostalgia – the emotional sense that things were better in the past – as the opposite of future orientation. But nostalgia’s relationship with time is more complicated. Francesca Melhuish explores this relationship as it relates to Brexit, and how it helps us to understand the emotional appeal of temporal narratives of the nation Read more
August 24, 2022

Failures in constitutional design are at the heart of the crisis in western democracies

Timothy Hellwig Timothy Hellwig explores the political crises in three European democracies (France, Italy and the UK) to argue that failures in constitutional design are at the root of their problems. These failures, moreover, are not dissimilar to those experienced in the United States, suggesting this is a current affliction of western democracies Read more
July 27, 2022

Conservative leadership hopefuls should listen to Hobbes regarding Scotland

Ruairidh Brown Despite often being regarded as a blueprint for authoritarianism, Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan gives prudent advice on the limitations of sovereign power. Ruairidh Brown argues this serves as a timely warning for the next Conservative leader on their approach to Scottish politics Read more
June 22, 2022

Westminster has a moral obligation to allow a second Scottish independence referendum

Ruairidh Brown The first obstacle in holding an Independence Referendum is assuring its legitimacy. To do so, says Ruairidh Brown, the SNP-Green alliance have implied the UK Government has no moral authority to deny Scots a choice on their future Read more
May 9, 2022

Externalising refugee protection: less a vision than a mirage

Frowin Rausis The UK’s ‘New Plan for Immigration’ allows the government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, reflecting the latest aspiration to externalise refugee protection. Frowin Rausis and Konstantin Kreibich show that the idea is not new. Different countries have toyed with it for years – and failed consistently Read more
May 9, 2022

Rwanda-UK refugee deal is an insult to Africa’s integration process

Hannah Muzee The British government's Rwanda-UK asylum deal exposes the detrimental effects of an absolute state sovereignty principle in the African Union. This principle, argues Hannah Muzee, is a major stumbling block to Africa’s desired unification objectives Read more
November 23, 2021

How second jobs change MPs’ behaviour in parliament

Simon Weschle The UK government is embroiled in a sleaze scandal after a Conservative Member of Parliament was found to have lobbied for a company in which he held a second job. Simon Weschle argues that these jobs have systematic consequences for how legislators behave in parliament — some problematic, some not Read more
November 3, 2021

Boris Johnson wants net zero by 2050. Are his voters behind him?

Tim Bale The UK may be in the limelight at COP26, with the government having set highly ambitious targets for net zero by 2050. But, Tim Bale argues, evidence suggests that parts of the British electorate – largely Tory supporters – may be sceptical about the merits of the policy Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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