London — Outsider Opinion — Outsider Dr Hannah White

Can you remember now your reaction to the referendum result? Some of you I imagine celebrated, others were perhaps shocked, or pretended it wasn’t happening. I was still in bed when I heard the news on the radio: the UK had voted to leave the European Union. I remember the immediate sense of loss and then my anger. For I had the impression, overnight, a part of my identity had been altered in a way I had little influence over. The referendum result seemed to signify a collective rejection (by the slimmest of majorities) of the principles of collaboration and reciprocity with our closest neighbours and as I processed the news, I questioned whether I still wanted to be associated with our apparently insular, self-regarding nation.

Hannah WhiteJuly 31, 2019Brexit, Boris, Europe, EU, Identity, Populism, UK, London, Cycle touringComment

What can we learn from the Swiss?

In a referendum in 2014, Switzerland voted to introduce immigration quotas by the slimmest of majorities threatening the countries relationship with the EU. After two years of negotiation, in 2016, the Swiss parliament chose to compromise and introduced a series of soft measures in order to maintain trading arrangements. Given the parallels with Brexit, I ask here what we, in the UK, can learn from recent events there.

Hannah WhiteSeptember 18, 2018Europe, EU, Brexit, referendum, Switzerland, SVP, London, Theresa May, Future relationship, Outsider, ResearchComment

Civilisation – the human tragedy of Greece.

The dismal circumstances of asylum seekers and refugees in Greece, is hard to blame on the Greeks. Europe is collectively responsible. If the international community is to address the humanitarian crisis there, as well as in Italy, it must first deal with the imbalance of power between northern and southern Europe.