With local elections and the race for London Mayor now behind us (congratulation Sadiq Khan, unlucky Zac Goldsmith), the political focus will increasingly move to the British EU referendum. Again, debates on EU membership tie a lot into studies of London, as well as space and place. What is at stake for the UK if we leave the European community, and how can policy-makers demonstrate the importance of continued geopolitical community?
Here’s an interesting blog post by Alistair Bealby about the EU referendum, including some relevant infographics for EU tourists – kudos to ABTA for the easily digestible stats.
Reasons to celebrate our European neighbours and remain in the EU
The European Union’s principle of the freedom of movement is getting some pretty bad press these days. The British media, UKIP and unsavoury former Apprentice candidates seem all too happy to do away with any semblance of critical analysis and resort to facile conflations for their own Brexitty ends. The UK, so the argument goes, can better secure its national security outside of the EU, without the distraction of other EU member states. In the current climate, just several days after a terrorist attack at the heart of Europe, this debate needs to be had.
However, it becomes irresponsible if that involves equating refugees with jihadi fighters, the foreign with the hostile and freedom of movement with invasion. It’s easy to become blinded by such this kind of distortion, which sees important nuances of the debate slip away. We end up descending into a fruitless state of fear and blame.
In an…
View original post 496 more words
sexuality and the city 