δημοκρατία (dimokratía): Democracy  – a system of government in which executive and legislative power rests on the collective will of a sovereign people. To borrow from Yanis Varoufakis (who himself paraphrased Tony Benn), 4 questions asked by the governed can be effectively answered by the governors in a democracy: what are your powers? Who gave you those powers? How are you using those powers? And how can we remove you from power?

δῆμος (dêmos): people – originally a term referring to the citizenry of a Greek city-state, the dêmos is the common people, who form the collective sovereign will of a democracy.

κράτος (kratos): power – Kratos was the Greek god who represented authority in all its forms; the power to enact the sovereign will of a people.

ισηγορία (isegoría): equality of all in the freedom of speech; each citizen’s free speech is given equal weight in decision making and government, and is judged only on the quality of what is said, not who said it. One vote, one voice, one man.

Hello all. I’m an undergraduate at King’s College London, and have a real, deep interest in Europe, its Union, and its importance in the modern world. The purpose and context of this blog has changed considerably since I first started writing it. My country, Britain, no longer considers itself a part of Europe, since 23rd June 2016. This is a problem for me, as I am a staunch Europeanist, and Europe was a core element of my identity. So, in light of this, and changes in my own writing interest, this blog with have less straight news coverage on it and more commentary about the affairs of the day. I’ll try and mix in some history, philosophy and political thought, and in general frame all my discussions in a European context. Britain, for me, is and always will be a part of Europe, and with this in mind, I cannot pretend to separate my writing on the two from each other. Europe’s nations have never existed in a vacuum, separate from each other, and nor has the literature coming from and about this continent. I will continue that tradition. I will continue to be supportive of the Union but also critical. And finally, I will not fail to separate what is fact, and what is my honest opinion. I hope you enjoy reading my writings on these troubled times.

Please, feel free to comment on anything; if I have to the time, I’ll respond in kind. Or tweet me @SamHufton1. I’ll have a specific email up at some point as well. Journalism, the internet, current affairs; it’s all about discussion, so please do go ahead.

Your writer,

Sam Hufton

The technical case for the European Union – This was an essay I wrote in early 2016, ahead of the referendum. It is rather academic in tone, analytical without any political conviction. Nevertheless, it is my ‘technical’ consideration for why Europe should unify under a single banner.


Schedule: Irregular


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