The UK challenge to europeanization. The persistence of British euroscepticism

Britain's part in the future of European integration remains at the forefront of political debate, with the prospect of a European Union exit referendum a real possibility. For EU membership to be so contentious for a long-standing member state rules out problems of adjustment and accommodation. Euroscepticism is not marginal or temporary in the UK, it is a persistent and embedded facet of British political society.

This timely book considers the UK as profoundly eurosceptic, and analyses its distinctive euroscepticism and resistance to europeanization in many aspects of its culture and in its core institutions. Addressing a range of topics from the press to defence, it cuts across history, politics, cultural studies, economics and international relations and offers a rich, original and interdisciplinary contribution to the emerging field of eurosceptic studies.

Contents:

Introduction - Chris Gifford and Karine Tournier-Sol

Part I: Nation and National Identity
1. The Essential Englishman: The Cultural Nature and Origins of British Euroscepticism - Menno Spiering
2. 'Beyond Awkwardness: England, the European Union and the End of Integration' - Ben Wellings
3. Beyond the English? The UK's Pluri-National Euroscepticism - Andrew Mycock and Chris Gifford
4. British Euroscepticism and the Geopolitics of a Post-Imperial Britain - Cornelius Crowley

Part II: Party Politics and Euroscepticism
5. Reassessing British Conservative Euroscepticism as a Case of Party (Mis)Management - Agnes Alexandre-Collier
6. The Dilemma of Pro-European Parties in the UK: The Case of Labour and the Liberal Democrats Since 2010 - Pauline Schnapper
7. The UKIP Challenge - Karine Tournier-Sol

Part III: Eurosceptic Civil Society
8. Performing Euroscepticism: The UK Press and Cameron's Bloomberg Speech - Oliver Daddow
9. Extra-Parliamentary Eurosceptic Actors in the UK - John FitzGibbon

Part IV: Eurosceptic Interests?
10. British Political Discourse on the EU in the Context of the Eurozone Crisis - Catherine MacMillan
11. The Role of Finance in the UK's Relationship with the European Union - Nicholas Sowels
12. The Transatlantic Dimension of British Euroscepticism - Hajnalka Vincze

This timely book views the UK as institutionally Eurosceptic across politics and society, from the press to defence. It represents a rich and original contribution to the emerging field of Eurosceptic studies, and a key contribution to this important issue.