Www beloff soft 2015

The romanticism of the campaign gave way to the economic and political realities. There is a warning here…. Kevin Featherstone — LSE. Kevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Head of the European Institute at the London School of Economics

In the British referendum, it is hard to find serious economists who argue that Brexit would lead to economic gains. Instead, a whole array of international organisations from the IMF to the OECDthe British Treasury, independent think-tanks, and yes, LSE economists, calculate the opposite. Similarly, on the toxic issue of immigration, all serious studies show that the impact on the British economy is either negligible or significantly positive.

This new populism links the rise of Donald Trump with the new extremes in Europe. But it also shows the parallels between the current referendum campaign in Britain and that in Greece last July. The two referendum questions are different: should Britain remain in or leave the European Union; and should Greece accept a particular debt bail-out package. But the nature of the campaigns is disturbingly similar, as are the demographics of who is supporting the new populism. Instead, they took refuge in an assertion of their own right to national sovereignty and identity.

Following the result, however, the Www beloff soft 2015 of the campaign quickly gave way to political and economic realities. We are living in Www beloff soft 2015 new political climate in which key Www beloff soft 2015 are made on emotions, not facts; elites are distrusted to the point of identifying a conspiracy against the popular will; and leaders are seen as making gross miscalculations in their national strategies.

With such populism, come statements that cannot stand up to scrutiny. And no reference is made to other EU expenditure in the UK, such as that to farmers. The voters supporting the new populism show some overlap between the British and the Greek cases. But the most decisive split is by education and occupation.

There is no popular culpability in her historical path. Tory Eurosceptics are likely to see Britain having been duped into joining the EU on a false promise. Www beloff soft 2015 particularly, the established leaders are fools and have grossly miscalculated the national strategy in relation to the rest of the EU.

In the heat of the campaign, this weight of evidence is brushed aside as unreliable. More important than the economy, apparently, this is a tussle over values and priorities: Britain should be able to govern itself freely. Greek public opinion has been persuaded to regard their previous political class as a kleptocracy, conspiratorially engaged Www beloff soft 2015 corruption and perverting the national interest. US intervention in Greece, and globalisation generally, has robbed the country of its culture and morals.

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