Barzini’s question : united Europe and the United Kingdom

Abstract

This working paper, first presented as a Distinguished Lecture at the 2015 Academy of European Law summer course on European Union Law, explores Britain’s increasingly ambivalent attitude towards Europe. Tracing the United Kingdom’s participation in Europe, from both a personal and institutional perspective, the paper argues that the mild enthusiasm of the late 1980s and early 1990s towards European integration has given way to disenchantment in the present day. The paper argues that five factors have contributed to the increasingly negative attitude among the British people towards Europe: Britain’s conception of its place in the world; its self-exclusion from important parts of the European project; the impact of specific policies and freedoms; a media hostile to European integration; and cowardly politicians.