During the Thatcher government of the 1980’s and the Major government of the 1990’s, the Eurosceptics were a fringe movement with few supporters. At the time, UK withdrawal from the EU was unthinkable and few called for the UK to withdraw from the EU, even among the Eurosceptics. Over the years, there were a number of trends that helped the Eurosceptics to gain public support for their cause and Euroscepticism grew in the media and in the Conservative Party. UKMA did not take sides in the Brexit referendum in mid-2016 and takes no position on Brexit or future UK-EU relations. Whatever one thinks of Brexit, the fact remains that the Brexiteers have won against all the odds. Brexit was achieved when the UK left the EU at 11pm GMT on Friday 31 January 2020. How did they achieve this against all the odds and what can UKMA learn from them?
Continue reading “Parallels with the Brexiteers – winning against the odds”Tag: opposition
Parallels between metrication and airport expansion policy
Ronnie Cohen has observed several similarities between successive governments’ policies on airport expansion and metrication. Although they are completely unrelated issues and there is no link between the two, it speaks volumes about the inability of the British government to act in the national interest and to face down opposition where necessary.
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Speed, momentum and resistance
Which is preferable: a swift metric transition or a leisurely one? UKMA would have preferred the former. Successive UK governments have opted for the latter, believing that it carries less risk to their popularity. Ronnie Cohen assesses progress.
Metric Views 