Juan Guaidó: the future of Venezuela?

Juan Guaidó has challenged Nicolás Maduro for the presidency of Venezuela. Despite being opposition leader, even his supporters acknowledge that most Venezuelans did not know who he was until a few weeks ago. To those new to this situation, this must seem bizarre, chaotic; an erratic action by an unfamiliar foreign country. Why has this …

John Bercow: People versus Parliament

John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, is currently under criticism for bending precedent and allowing amendments to Brexit to pass. The question here is whether he is acting in his role as Speaker, or whether he is acting unconstitutionally by abusing his power to support Remain perspectives. Part of the role of …

What it means to say No Deal

It is a piece of cognitive dissonance that No Deal is the most popular option among the general public at the moment. The short term is sure to be a difficult, particularly on the British side. It is one thing to say Leave. It is quite another to suggest No Deal. Why, then, can No …

Charting perceptions of Brexit government performance

As part of an exploration of Leave voter perspectives on Brexit, one of the more interesting aspects has been the distinction between the stereotyped Leave voter as No Deal supporter and the Leave voters who expected Brexit to be handled with a similar degree of due process to normal legislation. Much as the divide is …

Fog of war in the Brexit crisis

If there's one core issue to Brexit, it's the extent to which no one really seems to have a viable solution. There is no easy answer which will fully satisfy every faction. Had we taken a different approach to the result in 2016 (an option made vastly more difficult by the results of the 2017 …

We have a Brexit Government, not a Conservative one

If there is one fact we can all agree on, it is that Brexit has completely shifted the centre of gravity in UK politics. Just as Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s ratcheted the centre ground to the right over her ten-year tenure, Brexit has yanked it into another dimension like a slow, inexorable landslide, which …