A New Start (again)

By Professor Joanne Murphy, Department of Management, Birmingham Business School  So, Rishi Sunak and Leo Varadkar met in Belfast this week to herald another new start to the devolved Northern Ireland institutions. Good news, of course. Anything that brings closure to post Brexit volatility must be positive. Both governments, as guarantors of the Good Friday … Continue reading “A New Start (again)”

Brexit and Social Security for British People Living in the EU

By Dr Kelly Hall, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham After years of uncertainty, the UK has now left the EU. So what does this mean for more than a million British people living in other European countries? The UK is now considered a ‘third country’ to the EU … Continue reading “Brexit and Social Security for British People Living in the EU”

Brexit ‘hitting foreign languages in schools’

By Dr Adam Cooke, Lecturer in Languages Education School of Education, University of Birmingham I am sure, at some point, that many of us in the UK language teaching community has had to defend the place of language learning in our schools. Thankfully we have always been mightily equipped to justify modern foreign languages in … Continue reading “Brexit ‘hitting foreign languages in schools’”

Is the British economy facing ‘troubled times’?

By Professor Aditya Goenka Department of Economics, University of Birmingham “Troubled times had come to my hometown” (Springsteen, 1986) Since the Brexit vote in June 2016, the British economy has been slowing down, with the growth rate in the last quarter of 2018 at just 0.2%, the slowest since 2012. This should be seen in the … Continue reading “Is the British economy facing ‘troubled times’?”

Your guide to Brexit: What is the UK facing?

It’s less than six months until the UK’s departure from the European Union. The party conferences have ended with the May Government clinging to a compromise “Chequers Plan” — but with the Prime Minister so embattled by hard Brexit-ers that she dare not mention it by name. Uncertainty prevails. So what are the prospects for … Continue reading “Your guide to Brexit: What is the UK facing?”

All bets are off: What’s the deal with Brexit?

By Professor Scott Lucas, Professor of American Studies Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham It is less than six months until the UK’s departure from the European Union. The party conferences have ended with the May Government clinging to a compromise “Chequers Plan” – but with the Prime Minister so embattled … Continue reading “All bets are off: What’s the deal with Brexit?”

A lion in the jungle or a dancing queen? Theresa May at the Conservative Party conference

By Dr Matt Cole,  Teaching Fellow Department of History, University of Birmingham The annual conference of the UK Conservative Party is an intriguing conundrum: it determines much more than it decides. This year, facing Brexit and the future of Prime Minister Theresa May, was no different. There was no vote over the UK departure from … Continue reading “A lion in the jungle or a dancing queen? Theresa May at the Conservative Party conference”

Brexit’s Effect on the National Health Service and immigration

By Professor Mark Exworthy, Professor Jean McHale and Dr Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham The impact of Brexit on the NHS With six months until Brexit, the UK’s National Health Service is beset by uncertainty over staffing, patients, medicines, devices and public health, especially if there is No Deal. As 30% of NHS staff come … Continue reading “Brexit’s Effect on the National Health Service and immigration”

Brexit: The Prospect of Deal or No Deal

By Professor John Fender, Professor of Macroeconomics Department of Economics, University of Birmingham With six months to go before the UK’s Brexit departure from the European Union, we still do not know what arrangement will follow. But we can anticipate some of the consequences. No Deal The UK will find its trade relations deteriorating immediately … Continue reading “Brexit: The Prospect of Deal or No Deal”

Trumpian Diplomacy and UK-US Relations

By David Dunn, Professor of International Politics Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham For Trump, however, both at the NATO summit in Brussels and in his criticism of the May government in The Sun, the apparent intention was to challenge the value of continued partnership; to chastise allies for their alleged … Continue reading “Trumpian Diplomacy and UK-US Relations”