Latest blog articles

After the Ukraine referendum in the Netherlands and the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom, have proved that it is difficult to organise a referendum on multi-faceted questions and interpret the results. In both cases, voters came to the polls for a wide variety of reasons... This blog is only...

They say that one cannot have one’s cake and eat it – a rather well-known adage which the proponents of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union were determined to disprove. This article is only available in Dutch.

The difficult thing about the Brexit referendum and the events that followed in the United Kingdom is that the instrument of a referendum, in all its simplicty, may have undemocratic consequences... This blog is only available in Dutch. 

What is the meaning of 'as soon as possible'? That question is now topical on the Ukraine referendum. This article is only available in Dutch.

It didn't run down quietly! On the contrary. After all the buzz about the consultative referendum it was exciting if it was possible to reach the legal threshold at 30% of the votes. They just succeeded with 32%. This article is only available in Dutch.

What happens if the Netherlands rejects the EU-Ukraine association agreement? If they reach the participation quorum of 30%, it is up to the government to present a legislative proposal to the States-General by which the special legislation will be withdrawn. This article is only available in Dutch...

There was great anger and protest among Dutch politicians after a nuanced interview with Juncker in NRC Handelsblad van January 9^th, 2016, about the referendum on the EU-Ukraine association agreement. The general opinion was: how does Juncker have the courage to participate in the Dutch discussion...

The Administrative Law Division of the Council of State has spoken... This article is only available in Dutch.

The senseless killings and horrific attack on a newspaper and on a shop. Of course these terrorist attacks are violations of the right to life and the freedom of expression and therefore on our democratic societies. The perpetrators wanted to instill fear and to create chaos and undo our precious...