Suchergebnisse

Stephen George, the eminent scholar of the European Union, famously labelled the UK as the 'awkward partner' when analysing the country's relationship with the EU. The 'permissive consensus' evident in most EU nation states, at least prior to Maastricht and more recently the Eurozone crisis, was never 'clear-cut' in the UK. However, recent developments have propelled the issue of UK membership to the centre stage of British politics. By analysing some of the key historic variables which have contributed to the UK's ambivalence and hostility towards the EU as well as more recent factors such as Conservative Party splits over 'Europe' and the rise of UKIP, the article focuses on the role and influence of the tabloid press, and in particular the Daily Express, to demonstrate how the debate surrounding UK membership of the EU has completed its journey from the margins to the mainstream of British politics. It concludes that the lack of a 'level playing-field' in terms of EU coverage among the UK tabloid press has led to a situation where its citizens, in the context of an 'in-out' referendum, are unable to 'weigh up' the 'costs' and 'benefits' of EU membership in a rational and informed fashion.

With the advent of the Eurozone crisis, Euroscepticism has become increasingly mainstreamed. This is discernible across Europe at the level of public opinion, among political parties and civil society groups, within the EU institutions themselves and in terms of changing and more challenging media discourses. Against the backdrop of the 2014 European elections and a potential referendum on UK membership of the EU, the purpose of this article is to introduce an evolving debate. It begins with discussion of the 'state of the art' with regard to the study of Euroscepticism, before focusing on the significance of the latest European elections themselves. It then provides an overview of the various articles in the collection, explaining their relevance in helping to unravel the complexity and diversity of opposition towards 'Europe' and the extent to which Euroscepticism has become part of the mainstream with regard to European political debate.

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.

"Since the advent of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, a key turning point in terms of the crystallisation of opposition towards the European Union (EU), Euroscepticism has become a transnational phenomenon. The term 'Euroscepticism' has become common political language in all EU member states and, with the advent of the Eurozone, refugee and security crises have become increasingly 'embedded' within European nation states.Bringing together a collection of essays by established and up-and-coming authors in the field, this handbook paints a fuller, more holistic picture of the extent to which the Eurosceptic debate has influenced the EU and its member states. Crucially, it also focuses on what the consequences of this development are likely to be for the future direction of the European project. By adopting a broad-based, thematic approach, the volume centres on theory and conceptualisation, political parties, public opinion, non-party groups, the role of referendums--and the media--and of scepticism within the EU institutions. It also reflects on the future of Euroscepticism studies following the United Kingdom's vote to leave the EU.Containing a full range of thematic contributions from eminent scholars in the field, The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism is a definitive frame of reference for academics, practitioners and those with an interest in the debate about the EU, and more broadly for students of European Studies, EU and European Politics."--Provided by publisher.