Britain and the Crisis of the European Union

This book focuses on the effects of the political and later economic crisis which has seriously affected the European Union and its impact on the seemingly endless UK debate over Britain's position within the EU. Long described as an 'awkward partner' and in spite of Tony Blair's half-hearted attempts to engage with his partners during his time in office, the UK under the Coalition government has become further estranged from other members states and EU institutions with potentially damaging consequences for the UK and the future of the EU itself. This volume analyses the way the sovereign debt crisis, in particular, has fuelled the further rise of radical euroscepticism in the UK against the backdrop of a deepening crisis of the British political system and wider questioning of the European project across the EU.

List of tables and figures Acknowledgements Introduction 1. A Multi-Faceted Crisis 2. Britain and Europe in a new Global Environment 3. Notes on Theory and Method 4. Intergovernmentalism and Historical Institutionalism 5. Comparative and Historical Political Economy 6. Outline PART I: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE EUROZONE CRISIS 7. The Eurozone: A Crisis Waiting to Happen 8. The EZ Crisis – An Analytical Chronology 9. Phase One: From Maastricht to Meltdown 10. Phase Two: The Sovereign Debt Crisis 11. Solutions become problems 12. European Integration – From Embedded Liberalism to Variegated Neoliberalism 13. Conclusion: Winner Takes All, But at What Cost ? PART II: BRITISH PREFERENCES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: UNSUNG SUCCESS 14. Consequences of a Late Entry 1945-79 15. The Conservative Governments 1979-97 16. The New Labour Years 17. The Convention and Constitutional Treaty 18. Conclusion PART III: EUROSCEPTICISM IN BRITAIN 19. British Euroscepticism 20. Divisions about Europe 1945-88 21. Blair and New Labour: An End to Divisions ? 22. The Conservative Party after 1997: the Drift towards Hard Euroscepticism 23. Public Opinion since the late 1990s 24. Conclusion PART IV: THE CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 25. Disillusionment and the Strains in the Political System 26. Fragmentation and Polarisation 27. The Effect of National and Global Trends 28. The Rise of Populist Parties 29. The Political Use of Referendums 30. Devolution and the Possible End of the British State 31. Conclusion PART V: BRITAIN AND THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 32. An Ongoing Academic Debate 33. Consequences of the Financial and Economic Crisis 34. Attempts to Respond to the 'Democratic Deficit' 35. Domestic Crises and the Fear of Globalisation 36. Conclusion PART VI: BRITAIN AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 37. The View from London 38. British Exceptionalism in the EU 39. Nation and Atlanticsm: the Exceptional Community 40. Nationhood and Sovereignty 41. A Alternative for Britain in the Global Economy ? 42. Hyperglobalism 43. Open Regionalism 44. Intergovernmentalism 45. Hyperglobalism: Will Winner Take All ? 46. Cameron's Diplomacy in Europe and the Failure of Tory Statecraft 47. Semi-Detachment or 'Brexit' ? Conclusion Bibliography