Are EU Exit Referenda Good for Democracy?

Referenda are important instruments of democratic politics. They have been used since the late eighteenth century in various circumstances of political life, most often in relation to constitutional change or issues of self-determination. In contemporary democratic societies, there is pressure to submit contested political questions to popular vote, in order ...

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Are EU Exit Referenda Good for Democracy?

Never Trump. Maybe Hillary.

I cannot get my political bearings. There is little analysis of the current moment that I have not read, and read with appetite. Although much of it is deeply informative and often reiterates my own thoughts -- always good to feel less lonely if less original -- nothing I have ...
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Never Trump. Maybe Hillary.

Reflections: Before and After the Brexit Referendum

A colleague shared his impromptu reflections on Brexit, both before and after the referendum last Thursday. Before Regarding Brexit, basically I think “a plague on both your houses” -- nationalists and liberals. But for now more a plague on the Tory “Leave” side, so severe is the noxious brew that’s been ...
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Reflections: Before and After the Brexit Referendum

The Thelma-and-Louise-Gambit

Your car is not working. In fact it is falling apart: it eats up gas, burns oil, grinds the transmission, and wobbles its wheels. You have been taking the car to a mechanic whom you have known for years. He charges a small fortune, and typically, within a week or ...
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The Thelma-and-Louise-Gambit