UK

If June 23, 2016, marked the beginning of the end of Britain’s membership of the EU, today marks the end of that beginning. Now the two-year negotiating period for Britain to leave the EU begins. Over the next two years, Britain will focus on the size of its divorce settlement with the EU, as well as on a UK-EU free

Theresa May confirmed in her landmark speech at Lancaster House earlier in the month that Brexit really does mean Brexit. Britain will be leaving the economically strangling common market protectionist racket and seeking opportunities across the world. This, however, was not welcomed by all. Green MP and co-leader Caroline Lucas has complained that May is “hoping for far flung countries

In Reflections on the Revolution in France published in 1790, Edmund Burke concluded that “A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation”. That’s exactly what we learned in 2016. If the politicians won’t change the system, voters will change the politicians. The phenomena of Brexit and Donald Trump smashed the so-called political “centre”

The death of the murderous dictator Fidel Castro is a timely reminder of the alternatives to democracy. Winston Churchill was right on nearly all of the big things – but he was very wrong on democracy. The idea that “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others” is just plain wrong. In the absence of democracy,

The stench of elite hatred for democracy is sifting through the streets of London. The courts have ruled against the Government’s ability to implement the clear democratic will of the people. Meanwhile, Remainers disparage those who voted for Brexit as uneducated and uninformed, tricked by a campaign of deceit, and voting against their supposed best interest. They show an absolute

Australia’s cultural, social and political history is entwined with Britain’s. We share a language, the Westminster democratic system, the common law and a respect for diversity, individualism and freedom. Australia’s modern incarnation was defined by British colonisation. As former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott put it last week, during a discussion of Anglo-Australian trade relations at the UK Conservative Party

The UK government’s nanny statist food ingredients and portion size policies are now being expanded to restaurants, cafés and pubs of all sizes. The government plans to set sugar reduction targets, calorie caps for particular products such as chocolate bars and muffins, and push for smaller portion sizes. If foot outlets, of any size, don’t follow the punitive guidelines they will be named and

Theresa May is Britain’s new prime minister. Should we “Keep Calm and Carry On” or hit the panic button? The initial reaction from markets and the British political establishment has been a collective sigh of relief. Markets and institutions value certainty of political leadership and they reacted positively when May became PM. May triumphed when the other candidate for the

The political news right now is Malcolm Turnbull’s tenuous hold on government. But tight elections aren’t unusual. The real significance of the 2016 election is how it reveals the growing dissatisfaction with the political class and mainstream parties. This is a thread that links the support for Nick Xenophon and Pauline Hanson in Australia with the support for Donald Trump

IPA Adjunct Fellow Georgina Downer explains why Britain should vote to leave the European Union, and what it would mean for Australia.