At the Strasbourg parliament, 16th January, Claire explained her decision to abstain on the motion on the Conference on the Future of Europe. She explained that as the director of the Academy of Ideas, she has always sought to champion public debate and civil engagement in politics. However, the motion sought to use citizen participation … Read more
At the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 15 January, Claire commented on the EU Future of Europe initiative to develop the policy goals of the next legislature. She criticised the use of faux-democratic citizen assemblies, arguing that these were self-serving gimmicks and that if the EU was truly interested in the opinions of its citizens … Read more
At the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 15 January, Claire spoke about the EU-UK arrangements on citizens’ rights. Although she welcomed the fact that both sides had reached am amicable arrangement that protects all citizens, she opted to vote against it. Claire explained that the decision to include an article on EU citizens self-declaring their … Read more
At the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 14 January, Claire reflects on her final Strasbourg session and the fact that there is now acceptance among European MEPs that we will indeed be leaving. She spoke about the end of mandate meeting and the hostile atmosphere between UK MEPs at the meeting, as well as the … Read more
Claire wrote about her memories of Roger Scruton for Reaction. She begins: Roger Scruton was renowned as hating communism. So how on earth did he form an unlikely liason with me, the publisher of Living Marxism? In turn, why would I become such an admirer of Europe’s leading conservative philosopher? He famously declared that he … Read more
At the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 13 January, Claire expressed her concerns at the parliament’s approach to homelessness, despite seeing merit to the ‘housing first’ approach. She argued that this ‘one size fits all’ approach neglected many of the root causes of sleeping rough. Claire mentioned Eurozone austerity as a factor that has exacerbated … Read more
Claire spoke to the Irish Times Inside Politics podcast on 9 January, to discuss her experience of being an MEP and the Brexit movement. She explains that her time as an MEP has been educational in exposing the corrupting and vacuous nation of the European Parliament, and the false sense of importance bestowed on MEPs … Read more
Claire spoke to the IIEA in Dublin on 9 January, on the topic ‘Identifying the Sovereign Origins of Britain’s Withdrawal’. Claire argues that both inside and outside the UK, Brexit has been predominantly framed as a reactionary backlash, a rejection of the progressive values that many associate with the EU. In her address, she states … Read more
Claire wrote an article for the Spectator following her appearance on BBC Politics Live. She argues that whatever the aggravations of the Brexit debates, it’s time to try to be constructive in the way we discuss politics. She writes: I confess I had butterflies doing the first BBC Politics Live of 2020. It felt like … Read more
Claire was one of the guests on the BBC’s lunchtime politics discussion show today with Tory MP Stephen Crabb, shadow housing minister Sarah Jones and Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell. They discussed Iran, the Labour Party’s leadership contest and Brexit. Watch the full programme on BBC iPlayer here.