debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
Europe’ has been a neuralgic issue in UK politics for four decades, ever since the then Conservative prime minister, Edward Heath, took the state into the then Common Market, alongside the Republic of Ireland and Denmark. While one positive outcome of that coincident accession has been the rapprochement between Britain and Ireland, transcending a century [...]
At the moment, the Euro Area is stagnating, unemployment is rising and the entire banking system is dangerously fragile – in Nouriel Roubini’s phrase, we are watching a slow motion train wreck. But if the opinion polls are right, Francois Hollande will very soon be President of the French Republic and economic policy in the [...]
Ever since they joined the EU in 1973, the British have been sceptical about political integration in Europe. They have valued the economic benefits of membership, notably the single market, but opposed the concept of ‘political union’. The eurozone crisis is now increasing the gap between Britain and much of the rest of the EU. [...]
As both the Euro-area and the United Kingdom face an uncertain economic future, the Conservative led coalition government is displaying symptoms of political schizophrenia over its European strategy. Some leading Conservatives delight in the crisis gripping the Euro-area. But others worry that the Euro’s instability might fatally undermine the faint prospects of British economic recovery. [...]
On the face of it the Euro-Zone crisis will have served as a great boost for British Eurosceptics. They, and their supportive London media, can now argue that the original decision of the British government to stay out of the Euro-Zone has been vindicated. They can also argue that Britain’s best interests are served by [...]
In the early morning of 9th December 2011, the patience of Britain’s European partners finally ran out. In return for his acquiescence in the drawing up of a new European treaty to save the Eurozone, Mr. Cameron demanded a number of special arrangements for the United Kingdom to ‘protect the City of London.’ Britain’s partners [...]
The crisis of the Eurozone has had a significant impact on the political balance of the European Union. And it is likely to continue to shape the way the European unification process (dis)continues. The crisis of the European Monetary Union (EMU) has also put non-Euro EU member states in a difficult position; especially the ones – [...]
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