a prime minister of pretences? October 30, 2016
Posted by Bradley in : governance , add a commentThe final paragraph of this piece by Nick Cohen raises some quite fundamental questions about transparency in government:
Now she is a prime minister of pretences, running a government where feelings matter more than fact. She pretends that we should leave the EU, even though she knows we should remain a member of the single market. She offers us the illusion that we are taking back control, even as we lose our freedom to act. She cuts deals in secret, in the hope that the public will never realise that her land of make-believe is an expensive place to live.
Meanwhile, other news stories suggest that Mark Carney may choose to step down after much public criticism. Whether or not the stepping down would really be for personal reasons, there’s a deep irony here: a person who seems to have tried, in good faith, to carry out his statutory mandate is threatened for not going along with the fantasies the people in power choose to tell the public.
non-uk citizens not allowed to help with uk brexit work: more isolation (but it’s the opposite of splendid) October 7, 2016
Posted by Bradley in : britishness , add a commentThis is a shocking development from a country that claims it wants its universities to carry on being centres of excellence:
It is understood up to nine LSE academics specialising in EU affairs have been briefing the Foreign Office on Brexit issues, but the school was informed by a senior FCO official that submissions from non-UK citizens would no longer be accepted. Notes were subsequently sent to those in the group telling them of the instruction.