Euroscepticism: Party Politics, National Identity and European Integration (European Studies 20) (Yearbook of European Studies)

The accelerated pace of European integration since the early 1990s has been accompanied by the emergence of increasingly prominent and multiform oppositions to the process. The term Euroscepticism has appeared with growing frequency in a range of political, media, and academic discourses. Yet, the label is applied to a wide range of different, and occasionally contradictory, phenomena. Although originally associated with an English exceptionalism relative to a Continental project of political and economic integration, the term Euroscepticism is now also identified with a more general questioning of European Union institutions and policies which finds diverse expressions across the entire continent. This volume of European Studies brings together an interdisciplinary team of contributors to provide one of the first major, multinational surveys of the growth of these Eurosceptic tendencies. Individual chapters provide detailed examinations of developments in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Switzerland. Overall, the volume draws a distinctive portrait of contemporary Euroscepticism, situating the phenomenon not only relative to the progress of European integration, but also in relation to broader questions concerned with the evolution of party politics and the reshaping of national identities.Contents: Authors in this volume Robert HARMSEN and Menno SPIERING: Introduction: Euroscepticism and the Evolution of European Political Debate Paul HAINSWORTH, Carolyn O’BRIEN and Paul MITCHELL: Defending the Nation: The Politics of Eurosceptisicm on the French Right Susan MILNER: For an Alternative Europe: Euroscepticism and the French Left Since the Maastricht Treaty Klaus BUSCH and Wilhelm KNELANGEN: German Euroscepticism Robert HARMSEN: Euroscepticism in the Netherlands: Stirrings of Dissent Menno SPIERING: British Euroscepticism Peter J. ANDERSON: A Flag of Convenience? Discourse and Motivations of the London-based Eurosceptic Press Karin GILLAND: Irish Euroscepticism Milena SUNNUS: Swedish Euroscepticism: Democracy, Sovereignty and Welfare Anton PELINKA: Austrian Euroscepticism: The Shift From the Left to the Right Petr KOPECK?: An Awkward Newcomer? EU Enlargement and Euroscepticism in the Czech Republic Aleks SZCZERBIAK: Polish Euroscepticism in the Run-up to EU Accession Clive H. CHURCH: Swiss Euroscepticism: Local Variations on Wider Themes NOTE FOR CONTRIBUTORS......Page 6 CONTENTS......Page 8 AUTHORS IN THIS VOLUME......Page 10 INTRODUCTION: EUROSCEPTICISM AND THE EVOLUTION OF EUROPEAN POLITICAL DEBATE / Robert Harmsen and Menno Spiering......Page 14 DEFENDING THE NATION: THE POLITICS OF EUROSCEPTICISM ON THE FRENCH RIGHT / Paul Hainsworth, Carolyn O’Brien and Paul Mitchell......Page 38 FOR AN ALTERNATIVE EUROPE: EUROSCEPTICISM AND THE FRENCH LEFT SINCE THE MAASTRICHT TREATY / Susan Milner......Page 60 GERMAN EUROSCEPTICISM / Klaus Busch and Wilhelm Knelangen......Page 84 EUROSCEPTICISM IN THE NETHERLANDS: STIRRINGS OF DISSENT / Robert Harmsen......Page 100 BRITISH EUROSCEPTICISM / Menno Spiering......Page 128 A FLAG OF CONVENIENCE? DISCOURSE AND MOTIVATIONS OF THE LONDON-BASED EUROSCEPTIC PRESS / Peter J. Anderson......Page 152 IRISH EUROSCEPTICISM / Karin Gilland......Page 172 SWEDISH EUROSCEPTICISM: DEMOCRACY, SOVEREIGNTY AND WELFARE / Milena Sunnus......Page 194 AUSTRIAN EUROSCEPTICISM: THE SHIFT FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHT / Anton Pelinka......Page 208 AN AWKWARD NEWCOMER? EU ENLARGEMENT AND EUROSCEPTICISM IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC / Petr Kopecký......Page 226 POLISH EUROSCEPTICISM IN THE RUN-UP TO EU ACCESSION / Aleks Szczerbiak......Page 248 SWISS EUROSCEPTICISM: LOCAL VARIATIONS ON WIDER THEMES / Clive H. Church......Page 270 AUTHORS IN THIS VOLUME /Robert Harmsen and Menno Spiering -- EUROSCEPTICISM AND THE EVOLUTION OF EUROPEAN POLITICAL DEBATE /Robert Harmsen and Menno Spiering -- DEFENDING THE NATION: THE POLITICS OF EUROSCEPTICISM ON THE FRENCH RIGHT /Paul Hainsworth , Carolyn O'Brien and Paul Mitchell -- FOR AN ALTERNATIVE EUROPE: EUROSCEPTICISM AND THE FRENCH LEFT SINCE THE MAASTRICHT TREATY /Susan Milner -- GERMAN EUROSCEPTICISM /Klaus Busch and Wilhelm Knelangen -- EUROSCEPTICISM IN THE NETHERLANDS: STIRRINGS OF DISSENT /Robert Harmsen -- BRITISH EUROSCEPTICISM /Menno Spiering -- A FLAG OF CONVENIENCE? DISCOURSE AND MOTIVATIONS OF THE LONDON-BASED EUROSCEPTIC PRESS /Peter J. Anderson -- IRISH EUROSCEPTICISM /Karin Gilland -- SWEDISH EUROSCEPTICISM: DEMOCRACY, SOVEREIGNTY AND WELFARE /Milena Sunnus -- AUSTRIAN EUROSCEPTICISM: THE SHIFT FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHT /Anton Pelinka -- AN AWKWARD NEWCOMER? EU ENLARGEMENT AND EUROSCEPTICISM IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC /Petr Kopecký -- POLISH EUROSCEPTICISM IN THE RUN-UP TO EU ACCESSION /Aleks Szczerbiak -- SWISS EUROSCEPTICISM: LOCAL VARIATIONS ON WIDER THEMES /Clive H. Church Draws a portrait of contemporary Euroscepticism, situating the phenomenon relative to the progress of European integration. This volume of European Studies brings together an interdisciplinary team of contributors to provide one of the major, multinational surveys of the growth of these Eurosceptic tendencies. Euroscepticism initially appeared as a distinctively English phenomenon, further contributing to a sense of the country's 'awkwardness' or 'otherness' in relation to a Continental European project of political and economic integration. Since the publication of the hardback edition of this volume in the European Studies series in early 2004, the phenomenon of what is conventionally termed 'Euroscepticism' has continued to gain prominence across the continent.