Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Comments from the UK

Alan Carter is "our" Oxford-based-correspondent. (He's a tutor at the local university there.) He offers some cogent reminders about the EU. I remember reading statements like this in a textbook when I first learned about the EU. These are great additions to Monday's (12 Feb) question-answering post here.

He reminds us that the EU is a process, not a status quo.

"Two of the EU's most basic principles: widening [adding more members] and deepening [moving towards political union e.g. the Euro]." Both imply movement, not stasis.

On the deepening topic, Alan reminds us that some leaders in Europe, like Germany's Martin Schulz, have federation as a goal.

"This," Alan continues, "is the dilemma for those 'remainers' like me who opposed leaving. The situation pre-June 23rd 2016 doesn't exist anymore." What would we be remaining in?

He also reminds us that the Conservative Party seems to be coming apart over this issue. One of the possible successors to PM May might be someone like Jacob Rees-Mogg. He was described, in an opinion piece in The Independent, as "a controversial figure in British politics. He has been praised as a conviction politician whose upper-class mannerisms and consciously traditionalist attitudes are entertaining; he has been dubbed the "Honourable Member for the 18th century"

And no one knows where a Labour government might lead.

"It's not over yet." he reminds us.