Britain and the Crisis of the European Union

This book focuses on the effects of the political and later economic crisis which has seriously affected the European Union and its impact on the seemingly endless UK debate over Britain's position within the EU.

Long described as an 'awkward partner' and in spite of Tony Blair's half-hearted attempts to engage with his partners during his time in office, the UK under the Coalition government has become further estranged from other members states and EU institutions with potentially damaging consequences for the UK and the future of the EU itself.

This volume analyses the way the sovereign debt crisis, in particular, has fuelled the further rise of radical euroscepticism in the UK against the backdrop of a deepening crisis of the British political system and wider questioning of the European project across the EU.

David Baker is a retired professor of Politics from the University of Warwick. In 1991 he founded (with Professor Andrew Gamble) the 'Members of Parliament Group' which researched the influence of euroscepticism on the major UK political parties, with a special focus on the Conservative Party. His research is based upon a political economy approach.

Pauline Schnapper is a Professor of British Studies at the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3 and a fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France.