The ethics of a Brexit referendum
The debate over Brexit has been dominated by propaganda. To date, I have had sympathy with the one ethical argument, which has been made most effectively by Mehreen Khan, for leaving the EU. It is shared by man...
A human life is more than a collection of cells
Legal reform is a moral obligation
This is not one of my typical blogs, and many of you will be surprised to receive it. It is also significantly based-on, and influenced by, discussions with my 18-year old da...
Rethinking Brexit, via Kilkenny & Oxford
Mark Blyth and I have been arguing that nationalism is a global virus, filling the vacuum created by the erosion of political identity under neo-liberalism. The Cold War era now appears, almost nostalgically, a...
Brexit: everyone got it wrong
'Brexit' means brexit. Why do I have a feeling some Leavers will end up saying 'we never left', and some Remainers will say the same. The opposite is also likely. Some Leavers and Remainers will agree: Brexit d...
The Best of Brexit
The Best of Brexit
Perhaps the best thing to have come out of Brexit has been the writing. So here is a collection of my personal favourites. There are serious omissions - so feel free to suggest additions i...
Old myths, new problems – interpreting a British referendum
The myth of national identity
One consequence of the end of the Cold War was the re-emergence of nationalism in European politics. It was not the “End of History”, but reversion to the mean.
Nationalism is...
Interdependence
Made in Taiwan:
Most people in the world know virtually nothing about Taiwan. It is an extraordinary country: politically treacherous, as it claims independence from the People's Republic of China, and phy...
Time and Money
Time
Family time:
Many informal obligations between people involve time. Parents provide for children when they are young, and children owe them support when they are old. This is a form of inter-temporal e...
Measurement
Measurement
Blood banks: what do you charge for deposits and withdrawals?
A very striking example of how pricing something might change our attitude towards it was provided in 1970 by a professor at the Lon...
Allure
Money's allure
Pokémania:
Whoever created Pokémon cards was a strange genius. He identified the necessary properties of money and created his very own printing press. The cards can be used to play a board g...