The Copybook: Readings in history and literature

25

The Economic Case for Sovereignty by Adam Smith

A nation with its own laws and a strong sense of shared cultural identity makes good economic sense.

26

The Reform Acts by Clay Lane

Nineteenth-century Britain had busy industrial cities and a prosperous middle class, but no MPs to represent them.

27

The Servants of One Master by John Locke

Some people are not more equal than others, nor are they entitled to more life and liberty.

28

Man Was Not Made for the Government by Edmund Burke

Good government is not about enforcing uniform order, but about maximising liberty among a particular people.

29

Equal before the Law by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

Queen Victoria assured her subjects that there were no second-class citizens in her eyes.

30

Britain’s Destiny by Leslie Howard

In a Christmas broadcast in 1940, actor Leslie Howard explained why British sovereignty was worth fighting for.

The British Constitution