Britain and Europe: A model of permanent crisis?

Abstract

The eurozone crisis has shown how the fates of all European states are closely bound together, even if they do not all participate in the same institutions. Thus the UK has found itself drawn into debates about eurozone governance despite not being part of the single currency. Likewise, other EU member states have been forced to consider more closely the British experience and approach to European integration. This chapter argues that the long and problematic relationship between the UK and the Union offers some constructive lessons to both sides about the management of a system that finds itself at a critical juncture. In particular, it highlights the importance of open and flexible interaction between parties, the need to continue to secure popular support and identification and a willingness to accept that more radical options have to be discussed, if not necessarily taken. In so doing, the chapter suggests that the current crisis offers the seeds of a new phase in European integration.