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Towards Exit from the EU: The Conservative Party's Increasing Euroscepticism since the 1980s
[journal article]
Abstract Since the 1980s, Britain's Conservative Party has become increasingly critical of the European Union, and of the country's membership of it. So contentious and controversial has this issue become that it was a significant factor in the downfall of three consecutive Conservative Prime Ministers, all ... view more
Since the 1980s, Britain's Conservative Party has become increasingly critical of the European Union, and of the country's membership of it. So contentious and controversial has this issue become that it was a significant factor in the downfall of three consecutive Conservative Prime Ministers, all of whom found it increasingly difficult to manage their Party in Parliament, and thereby maintain any semblance of Party unity. Initially, during the 1980s and 1990s, the intra-Party divisions were between Europhiles (pro-Europeans) and Eurosceptics, but this demarcation was subsequently superseded by a division between soft Eurosceptics and hard Eurosceptics. The development and deepening of these intra-Party divisions are attributable to a plethora of endogenous and exogenous factors, the combined and cumulative effect of which ultimately led to the 'Brexit' vote in the June 2016 referendum.... view less
Keywords
Great Britain; EU; European integration; conservative party; party politics; intraparty opposition; Thatcher, M.; referendum
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
European Politics
Free Keywords
Brexit; David Cameron; Euroscepticism; Thatcherism
Document language
English
Publication Year
2017
Page/Pages
p. 27-40
Journal
Politics and Governance, 5 (2017) 2
Issue topic
Multidisciplinary Studies in Politics and Governance
DOI
https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v5i2.873
ISSN
2183-2463
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed