Search results

Intro -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Table -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 Context and Justification: Why Now? -- 1.2 Aims/Objectives -- 1.3 Book Outline -- Note -- References -- Chapter 2: Theory and Methodology -- 2.1 Ontology -- 2.2 Methodology -- 2.3 Research Questions -- 2.4 Relevant Literature -- 2.5 Method -- 2.5.1 Delimiting and Selecting Texts -- 2.5.2 Reading and Analysis -- 2.5.3 Mapping and Layering: Positions, Themes, and Representations -- 2.6 Reflections on Potential Limitations and Bias -- 2.7 Chapter Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3: The British Discourse on Europe 1975: Wilson and the First Referendum -- 3.1 Economy, Jobs, and Trade -- 3.2 Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries -- 3.3 Sovereignty and Democracy -- 3.4 Consequences for Peace and Security -- 3.5 Portrayals of Party Division -- 3.6 Chapter Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 4: The British Discourse on Europe 1992-1993: Major and the Maastricht "Bastards" -- 4.1 Centralisation, Federalisation, and Subsidiarity -- 4.2 Economic and Monetary Union -- 4.3 Sovereignty and Democracy -- 4.4 Freedom of Movement and Immigration -- 4.5 The Social Protocol -- 4.6 Portrayals of Party Division -- 4.7 Chapter Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 5: The British Discourse on Europe 2013: Cameron and the Second Referendum -- 5.1 Sovereignty and Democracy -- 5.2 Immigration -- 5.3 Economy, Jobs, and Prosperity -- 5.4 EU Reform -- 5.5 Trusting the People -- 5.6 Portrayals of Party Division -- 5.7 Chapter Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 6: Conclusion: Struggling over Sovereignty -- 6.1 The Continental Other -- 6.2 Key Continuities and Key Changes -- 6.3 Effects and Implications -- Notes -- References -- References -- Index.

This thesis analyses how the British discourse on Europe has evolved over the past forty years. Prime Minister David Cameron's commitment to hold a referendum on European Union membership in 2017, should his part win the next general election, was a major political milestone. The thesis therefore examines the changes and continuities in this discourse over three key periods: the 1975 referendum on the UK's continued membership of the European Economic Community, the 1992-3 debates on ratification of the Maastricht Treaty and the 2013 proto-referendum debates. Using a poststructuralist discourse-analytical approach, I analyse how political and media voices seek to delineate a British sense of self from a Continental other. I also address the rising prominence of immigration issues within the British discourse on Europe. I found that issues of sovereignty and democracy were a consistent feature across the three periods under analysis, with Eurosceptics seeking to frame the EU and its predecessors as anti-democratic and a threat to British sovereignty. The consistent divide between a British self and Continental other over the forty years under analysis has been strongly reinforced by the increasing prominence of anti-immigration rhetoric within the discourse. Overall, I note that the impact of the Eurosceptics' discursive campaign is likely to be significant in terms of how a referendum in 2017 might be decided. ; ARENA Centre for European Studies ; M-IR

(Thesis) Thesis--University of Florida. ; (Bibliography) Bibliography: leaves 263-269. ; (Additional Physical Form) Also available online. ; Manuscript copy. ; Vita. ; (Statement of Responsibility) John Richard Todd