The Politics of a Referendum
This is a critical time for the relationship between Britain and Europe,
as politicians debate the crisis facing the European Union and
Britain’s role within it. This second edition consists largely of new
material that charts how recent political developments have changed the
debate surrounding Britain’s membership of the EU. Following the 2015
general election and with the promise of an imminent referendum on
Brexit, the book now considers:
- How has the renegotiation agenda
shifted?
- How are EU partners responding to threats of departure from
Britain?
- What was the impact of the 2015 general election?
- What are the
politics of a referendum on membership?
- How can a pro-European
case be made?
By seeking answers to these questions, Roger Liddle
assesses the impact of a series of miscalculated gambles by David
Cameron and his forebears that leaves Britain teetering on the edge of
an exit from the European Union.
Contents
About the Author
Preface
How We Got Here
The Remorseless Logic of Conservative Division on Europe
The Shifting Renegotiation Agenda
Gearing Up for the Renegotiation
The Impact of the 2015 General Election on the European Question
Will Britain’s EU Partners Deliver What Cameron Needs?
What Does Cameron Actually Want?
The Renegotiation Agenda
Britain No Longer Part of ‘Ever-closer Union’?
Fair Treatment between ‘Euro-ins’ and ‘Euro-outs’
A New Deal on Migration
A More Competitive EU
Prospects for the Referendum and Thereafter
The Conservative Politics of the Referendum
Corbyn and Europe
Can Cameron Win?
Will the Referendum Resolve Britain’s Europe Dilemma?
About the Author
Roger Liddle is co-chair of Policy Network and became a
life peer in 2010. He was formerly Tony Blair’s special adviser on
European policy and subsequently worked for three years in the European
commission, first in the trade commissioner’s cabinet and then advising
the president of the commission. He has been at the heart of the Europe
debate for two decades, with detailed knowledge of both the politics and
public policy. Roger has written extensively on European and British
affairs, including The Blair Revolution (with Peter Mandelson, 1996), Global Europe, Social Europe (with Anthony Giddens and Patrick Diamond, 2006) and Beyond New Labour (with Patrick Diamond, 2009), and, most recently, The Europe Dilemma: the Drama of EU Integration (2014), as well as several other Fabian Society and Policy Network pamphlets.
The revised edition of The Risk of Brexit is now available to pre-order from Rowman & Littlefield International
This book is published by Policy Network and Rowman & Littlefield International
ISBN 9781783487196
November 2015