It's theme of "time" is a little forced. But Brexit Time: Leaving the EU—Why, How and When? offers valuable insight from an expert in the field
by Alex Dean / September 13, 2017 / Leave a commentPublished in October 2017 issue of Prospect Magazine
Brexit time—get it? Armstrong’s new book focuses on “how, why and when” the UK leaves the European Union.
“The aim of Brexit Time is to explore why, how and when the UK is leaving the European Union,” writes Kenneth Armstrong in his new book. This is clearly no small task: is the author up to it? As the Director of the Centre for European Legal Studies at Cambridge, he is certainly well qualified.
Armstrong sums up the Brexit debate from the time before the referendum to more or less the present moment—and then looks to the task ahead. “This is not a book about whether withdrawal from the EU is a good or a bad thing,” he tries to reassure us. Rather, it is an explainer that lays out clearly the terms with which we are rapidly having to become familiar: transitional Brexit deals, the European Court of Justice, the European Medicines Agency, Repeal Bills, Henry VIII powers (yes, really). The whole Brexit issue is expertly picked apart, the political and legal analysis of this constitutional leap into the dark is genuinely insightful.
There are flaws. Armstrong latches onto “time” as a running theme, but it feels a bit forced. Consider, for instance, the section titles: “Time of Brexit,” “Time for Brexit,” “Time to Brexit.” The difference between these is not immediately obvious, at least not to me. At one point he writes: “Choices are made that shape Brexit… they are choices in time, and of time.” Perhaps not the author’s finest moment.
You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
But don't worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.
When you register we'll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we'll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time
Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.
You can unsubscribe from the Prospect e-mail newsletter at any time.
