Search results

The article examines if and, if so, why and how political parties opposing the European Union have thrived. It looks at the role of national parliaments and national media in failing to engage convincingly with the European dimension of politics, and asks why the forces of European federalism have been so relatively ineffective. By analyzing the tensions between national and European political parties especially in the conduct of elections to the European Parliament, the article traces the rise of the nationalist forces within the EP and assesses their impact on the legislative and other work of the institution. It concludes by proposing measures to tackle the nationalist challenge to European unification, including more differentiated forms of integration, more direct democracy, the development of federal political parties and the constitutional settlement of a federal union. Adapted from the source document.

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Lists of figures and tables -- List of abbreviations -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 The missing link: religion and British politics -- The research questions and conclusions of the book -- 1) What was the contribution of religion to the rise of Euroscepticism in Britain and the Brexit vote? -- 2) How does religion affect Euroscepticism? -- 3) How has the relationship between religion and voter behaviour in Britain changed because of rising Euroscepticism and/or Brexit? -- 2 Theorising religion and Euroscepticism -- What do we mean by 'Euroscepticism'? -- What do we mean by 'religion'? -- How does religion shape Euroscepticism? -- Religious belonging and Euroscepticism: the history of political and religious institutions -- Religious belonging and Euroscepticism: political ideology -- Religious belonging and Euroscepticism: religion and national identity -- Religious belonging and Euroscepticism: party identification -- Religious behaviour and Euroscepticism: elite cues and social capital -- Religious belief and Euroscepticism: Christian tenets -- Conclusion -- 3 Euroscepticism and religion before Brexit -- Religion and the 1975 referendum -- Religion and Euroscepticism after 1975: on the road to Brexit -- The change in the relationship between religious belonging and Euroscepticism -- Conclusion -- 4 Religion and the Brexit referendum -- Religion and vote choice in the 2016 referendum -- Identifying the religious effects -- Regression analysis results -- Conclusion -- 5 Untangling (in)direct effects of religion on Euroscepticism -- Structural equation modelling and the relationship between religion and Euroscepticism -- The effect of religion on utilitarian and affective Euroscepticism -- Analysis details and results -- Details of the SEMs -- SEM results.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- List of contributors -- Acknowledgements -- List of abbreviations -- Part I Euroscepticism: theory and conceptualisation -- 1 Defining Euroscepticism: from a broad concept to a field of study -- 2 Contemporary research on Euroscepticism: the state of the art -- 3 Theory, concepts and research design in the study of Euroscepticism -- 4 Euroscepticism as ideology -- 5 Euroscepticism: stand-alone phenomenon or embedded within a broader cleavage? -- Part II Eurosceptic parties and domestic party systems -- 6 Euroscepticism and political parties: theory and practice -- 7 'Euromondialisme' and the growth of the radical right -- 8 Opposing Europe, opposing austerity: radical left parties and the Eurosceptic debate -- 9 The UK Independence Party and other primarily Eurosceptic parties -- 10 The dynamic of Euroscepticism in Germany -- 11 Party-based Euroscepticism in the Nordic region: ever more 'reluctant Europeans'? -- 12 Eurosceptic parties in the Central and Eastern European countries: a comparative case study of Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria -- 13 Changing the rules, changing the winners? The various effects of European election rules on party oppositions to the EU in France -- 14 Losing loyalty: the rise of polity Euroscepticism in Southern Europe -- Part III Public opinion, referendums and citizens' perceptions of the European Union -- 15 Soft sceptics and hard rejectionists: identifying two types of Eurosceptic voters -- 16 Young people and the EU at times of crisis -- 17 Eurosceptic youth: interest, trust and ideology -- 18 The pragmatic Euroscepticism of Scandinavia -- 19 Derailing European integration? Euroscepticism and the politics of EU referendums

Eurosceptic youth : interest, trust and ideology / Robert Grimm, Gary Pollock and Mark Ellison -- The pragmatic Euroscepticism of Scandinavia / Julie Hassing-Nielsen -- Derailing European integration? : Euroscepticism and the politics of EU referenda / Kai Oppermann -- EU referendums in the "new" member states : politicisation after a decade of support? / Agnes Batory -- Referenda and European integration : the case of the United Kingdom / Chris Gifford and Ben Wellings -- When "no" means "yes" : a comparative study of referenda in Denmark and Ireland / John FitzGibbon -- Euroscepticism as EU polity contestation / Hans-Jorg Trenz -- Euroscepticism and the crisis : "critical Europeanism" and anti-austerity social movements / Angela Bourne and Sevasti Chatzopoulou -- Euroscepticism and big business / Doris Fuchs, Tobias Gumbert and Bernd Schlipphak -- Euroscepticism and trade unionism : the crisis of "social Europe" / Andy Mathers, Susan Milner and Graham Taylor -- Mirroring or setting the political agenda? : the role of the media in the Eurosceptic debate / Asimina Michailidou -- Varieties of opposition to the EU in the Low Countries : a comparison of the Dutch and Flemish press / Patrick Bijsmans -- Euroscepticism in the EU institutions : a persistent and embedded phenomenon / Nathalie Brack and Olivier Costa -- Transnational and pan-European Euroscepticism : the case of the European conservatives and reformists / Benjamin Leruth -- Eurosceptic members of the European Parliament : foxes in the henhouse? / Nathalie Brack -- The far right and the 2014 European elections : consequences for the Eurosceptic debate / Cas Mudde -- The impact of the economic crisis on Euroscepticism / Mark Baimbridge -- Voting to leave : economic insecurity and the Brexit vote / Daphne Halikiopoulou and Tim Vlandas -- How the referendum was lost : an analysis of the UK referendum campaign on EU membership / Nicholas Startin -- Conclusion : Euroscepticism and European (dis)integration in the age of Brexit / Benjamin Leruth, Nicholas Startin and Simon Usherwood.

Eurosceptic youth : interest, trust and ideology / Robert Grimm, Gary Pollock and Mark Ellison -- The pragmatic Euroscepticism of Scandinavia / Julie Hassing-Nielsen -- Derailing European integration? : Euroscepticism and the politics of EU referenda / Kai Oppermann -- EU referendums in the "new" member states : politicisation after a decade of support? / Agnes Batory -- Referenda and European integration : the case of the United Kingdom / Chris Gifford and Ben Wellings -- When "no" means "yes" : a comparative study of referenda in Denmark and Ireland / John FitzGibbon -- Euroscepticism as EU polity contestation / Hans-Jorg Trenz -- Euroscepticism and the crisis : "critical Europeanism" and anti-austerity social movements / Angela Bourne and Sevasti Chatzopoulou -- Euroscepticism and big business / Doris Fuchs, Tobias Gumbert and Bernd Schlipphak -- Euroscepticism and trade unionism : the crisis of "social Europe" / Andy Mathers, Susan Milner and Graham Taylor -- Mirroring or setting the political agenda? : the role of the media in the Eurosceptic debate / Asimina Michailidou -- Varieties of opposition to the EU in the Low Countries : a comparison of the Dutch and Flemish press / Patrick Bijsmans -- Euroscepticism in the EU institutions : a persistent and embedded phenomenon / Nathalie Brack and Olivier Costa -- Transnational and pan-European Euroscepticism : the case of the European conservatives and reformists / Benjamin Leruth -- Eurosceptic members of the European Parliament : foxes in the henhouse? / Nathalie Brack -- The far right and the 2014 European elections : consequences for the Eurosceptic debate / Cas Mudde -- The impact of the economic crisis on Euroscepticism / Mark Baimbridge -- Voting to leave : economic insecurity and the Brexit vote / Daphne Halikiopoulou and Tim Vlandas -- How the referendum was lost : an analysis of the UK referendum campaign on EU membership / Nicholas Startin -- Conclusion : Euroscepticism and European (dis)integration in the age of Brexit / Benjamin Leruth, Nicholas Startin and Simon Usherwood.

From the candidate country in the EU's 2004 Enlargement with the lowest levels of support for EU membership, the situation in Malta has changed since accession so that all mainstream political parties now support membership. After presenting factors influencing attitudes to Europe, the article analyses party euroscepticism from Maltese independence in 1964 to the present, focusing on the Malta Labour Party. The examination of public opinion focuses on the period before and after the 2003 referendum on EU membership. The significant role of the eurosceptic media is also noted. ; peer-reviewed

This article explores the link between the financial crisis and Euroscepticism at the level of public opinion, building on and developing further the literature on the impact of economic, identity and institutional factors on Euroscepticism. It argues that the economic crisis did not substantially bring economic factors back in as an important source of Euroscepticism, even though the most pronounced increase in Euroscepticism has taken place in the countries most affected by the crisis. By contrast, national identity and political institutions play an increasingly important role in explaining public Euroscepticism.