Tag: Brexit

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Twelve Votes for an Exit: Compromise and Responsiveness in the Brexit Process

johnson

Brexit has been at the centre of the last two British elections and the past legislative term. The UK’s exit from the European Union was characterized by a series of parliamentary setbacks, with several government defeats, continuous rebellions and cross-party agreements made to secure control of the agenda. In the research reported in this article, we analyse the parliamentary Brexit process through careful examination of the 12 indicative votes held in Westminster in 2019 to find an alternative solution to Theresa May’s exit agreement. We map the choices of each MP along two relevant dimensions, connecting them to the socioeconomic structure of their constituencies as well as to the preferences expressed in the 2016 Brexit referendum. Moreover, we associate these parliamentary behaviours – and thus MPs’ attitudes towards compromise and responsiveness – to the gains and losses experienced during the subsequent 2019 general election.

Giuliani, M. (2023). Twelve Votes for an Exit: Compromise and Responsiveness in the Brexit Process. Government and Opposition. An International Journal of Comparative Politics, 58(4): 682-701. doi:10.1017/gov.2021.61

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Westminster as Usual? Three Interpretations for the UK Democracy

The Brexit process has shattered the foundations of British politics, with prime ministerial resignations, government defeats, continuous rebellions and floor-crossings. These phenomena seem at odds with the usual decisiveness of Westminster systems. However, the aforementioned departures from the British tradition could be interpreted as compatible with the typical distance of any empirical reality from theoretical models, as exceptions to the rule due to the specificity of the European issue, or as the surfacing of some deeper social, economic and cultural tensions. Data alone are insufficient to confirm any of the alternative interpretations, although they seem to confirm the existence of longterm dynamics rather than some short-term exceptionalism. Within this scenario, the article suggests that a series of institutional innovations introduced since the late 1990s have facilitated the political consolidation of those tensions, contributed to the partisan dealignment, and made room for a potential departure from a Westminster model of democracy.

Giuliani M (2022). Westminster as Usual? Three Interpretations for the UK Democracy. Government and Opposition: An International Journal of Comparative Politics 57(3): 552-568 . https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2021.20

Check the data if you are interested in divisions, rebellions and defeats in the UK parliament from 1997 to 2019 (and don’t forget to cite the work if you use it)