McCormick, J. (2014) “The Meaning of a British Exit from the European Union“, LSE EUROPP, 29 Ιουλίου.
Since January 2013, and the announcement by British Prime Minister David Cameron of his plan to hold a referendum on continued UK membership of the European Union, there has been much speculation about the possible effects of a so-called ‘Brexit’. However, it can be no more than speculation, because no member state of the EU has ever left the club, leaving us to sail through uncharted waters.
On several preliminary points we need to be clear. First, the promise of a referendum is less about a genuine effort to put the question to a national vote than to head off a dispute within the governing Conservative party, which is deeply split on Europe. There are shades here of the last time Britain had a referendum on Europe, in 1975; this too was prompted mainly by a dispute within the governing party, although then it was Labour.
Second, there is no certainty that there will actually be a referendum. In order for one to be held, the Conservatives will need to win an outright majority at the 2015 general election. However, they have not been doing well in the polls and, ironically, their chances of winning have been diminished by the rise of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), the one political party that is most in favour of a British exit.
Σχετικές αναρτήσεις:
- Tzogopoulos, G. (2014) “Britain Outside Europe? The Greek View, Athens will only have to lose with Brexit“, IP Journal, German Council on Foreign Relations, 25 Ιουνίου.
- Policy Network (2013) “Britain’s Financial Services Industry in a Changing Europe“, A Policy Network Report for the City of London Corporation, 22 Νοεμβρίου.
- Glendinning, S. (2013) “The work of J.S. Mill shows the danger in eliminating the differences between European nations“, European Politics and Policy Blog, 30 Σεπτεμβρίου.