Postcard from Switzerland

Peter Potter, the Anglican Archdeacon of Switzerland, observes that while the Swiss take their referendums very seriously it doesn’t always make for clever politics. Not all political decisions can be answered in simple yes and no terms.

02, 24, 2016
2 Comments.

By ReimaginingEurope

Booth, Diego Zuluaga, Subsidiarity

Subsidiarity needs to take its rightful place in the EU

Philip Booth and Diego Zuluaga compare and contrast competing understandings of subsidiarity and how they apply to the EU. They show that constitutional understandings of subsidiarity have encouraged the centralisation of power in Brussels which stands in marked opposition to its understanding in Catholic social teaching. They make the case that if we wish European integration to work and to allow individuals, families and communities to flourish, we need to return to the original conception of the subsidiarity principle – one that emphasises free will and encourages responsibility.

02, 08, 2016
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By ReimaginingEurope

Chaplin

The EU and the culpable silence of English speaking political theology

In this opinion piece Jonathan Chaplin laments the lack of a political theology on the EU. He makes the case that although a well thought out political theology won’t generate detailed policy programmes or constitutional blueprints, it could help the next generation of British and EU political actors to think with greater theological clarity and act with greater political wisdom as they seek to shape the sprawling, fumbling political entity that has become the EU.

12, 08, 2015
1 Comment.

By ReimaginingEurope

Booth, Subsidiarity

The liberal’s dilemma

Philip Booth makes the case that Eurosceptics tend to suffer from nirvana fallacy – they compare the EU with all its faults to a perfect policy environment in the UK. They ignore the positive aspects of the EU record, such as the action that has been taken to free the movement of capital and labour, and also ignore the negative aspects of the Westminster government’s record.To Philip Booth, a liberal economist, the Brexit dilemma is that we might end up with all the EU regulation and, in addition, more restrictions on migration.