Britain and the Crisis of the European Union

David Baker is a retired professor of Politics from the University of Warwick. In 1991 he founded (with Professor Andrew Gamble) the 'Members of Parliament Group' which researched the influence of euroscepticism on the major UK political parties, with a special focus on the Conservative Party. His research is based upon a political economy approach.Pauline Schnapper is a Professor of British Studies at the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3 and a fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France.

'The thirty year civil war in the Conservative Party over Britain's membership of the EU is reaching a climax. Baker and Schnapper provide a superb guide both to the bizarre British debate on Europe, and to the deepening crisis of the EU itself, showing how one feeds off the other. This book is essential reading for understanding the deep-seated problems which threaten to overwhelm the European project.' Andrew Gamble, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge, UK 'This outstanding book provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the UK's troubled relationship with the European Union. Baker and Schnapper's rich analysis chronicles the complex party political, political economy and diplomatic dimensions of the British politics of European integration, while also showing how the EU's own crisis has fed back into and shaped domestic discourses on Europe. It is difficult to think of a better companion volume as we approach the referendum on the UK's EU membership.' Ben Rosamond, Professor of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

• List of tables and figuresAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. A Multi-Faceted Crisis2. Britain and Europe in a new Global Environment3. Notes on Theory and Method4. Intergovernmentalism and Historical Institutionalism5. Comparative and Historical Political Economy6. OutlinePART I: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE EUROZONE CRISIS7. The Eurozone: A Crisis Waiting to Happen8. The EZ Crisis – An Analytical Chronology9. Phase One: From Maastricht to Meltdown10. Phase Two: The Sovereign Debt Crisis11. Solutions become problems12. European Integration – From Embedded Liberalism to Variegated Neoliberalism13. Conclusion: Winner Takes All, But at What Cost ?PART II: BRITISH PREFERENCES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: UNSUNG SUCCESS14. Consequences of a Late Entry 1945-7915. The Conservative Governments 1979-9716. The New Labour Years17. The Convention and Constitutional Treaty18. ConclusionPART III: EUROSCEPTICISM IN BRITAIN19. British Euroscepticism20. Divisions about Europe 1945-8821. Blair and New Labour: An End to Divisions ?22. The Conservative Party after 1997: the Drift towards Hard Euroscepticism23. Public Opinion since the late 1990s24. ConclusionPART IV: THE CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 25. Disillusionment and the Strains in the Political System26. Fragmentation and Polarisation27. The Effect of National and Global Trends28. The Rise of Populist Parties29. The Political Use of Referendums30. Devolution and the Possible End of the British State31. ConclusionPART V: BRITAIN AND THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 32. An Ongoing Academic Debate33. Consequences of the Financial and Economic Crisis34. Attempts to Respond to the ''Democratic Deficit''35. Domestic Crises and the Fear of Globalisation36. ConclusionPART VI: BRITAIN AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 37. The View fromLondon38. British Exceptionalism in the EU39. Nation and Atlanticsm: the Exceptional Community40. Nationhood and Sovereignty41. A Alternative for Britain in the Global Economy ?42. Hyperglobalism43. Open Regionalism44. Intergovernmentalism45. Hyperglobalism: Will Winner Take All ?46. Cameron''s Diplomacy in Europe and the Failure of Tory Statecraft47. Semi-Detachment or ''Brexit'' ?Conclusion Bibliography