Brexit is a tale of two unions, not one: the British and the European unions. Their origins are different, but both struggle to maintain unity in diversity and both have to face the challenge of populism and claims of democratic deficit.
Mark Corner suggests that the »four nations« that make up the UK can only survive as part of a single nation-state, if the country looks more sympathetically at the very European structures from which it has chosen to detach itself. This study addresses both academic and lay audiences interested in the current situation of the UK, particularly the strains raised by devolution and Brexit.
Mark Corner suggests the UK can only survive as a single nation-state if it looks sympathetically at the European structures from which it detached itself.
Arvustused
O-Ton: »A Tale of Two Polls« - Mark Corner on Liberal Democratic Voice on 11.04.2024
O-Ton: »Devolution in the UK does not have to mean giving powers away« - Mark Corner on https://blogs.lse.ac.uk on 19.01.2024.
O-Ton: »The Real Problem with Constitutional Reform« - Mark Corner on Liberal Democratic Voice on 26 January 2023.
Frontmatter 1
Contents 7
Chapter One: Introduction 11
Chapter Two: Very well, alone! Denying the narrative arc 23
Chapter Three: Europe's narrative arc 43
Chapter Four: Early attempts at supranationalism 55
Chapter Five: Monnet and his limitations 75
Chapter Six: The long road towards British entry 93
Chapter Seven: The long road towards British departure 115
Chapter Eight: Invasion and Expansion on the Isles 133
Chapter Nine: Saving the UK4 155
Chapter Ten: Home Rule for Northern Ireland? 175
Chapter Eleven: Wales and the English 191
Chapter Twelve: Wales and a British Union 209
Chapter Thirteen: The Future of the UK and the Problem of Little England 227
Chapter Fourteen: The strange romance of the sovereignty of parliament 243
Chapter Fifteen: Elites and Populists: Upending the top-down approach 265
Chapter Sixteen: On embedding the upward cascade 283
Chapter Seventeen: The Future of the UK 299
Chapter Eighteen: Conclusion 315
Bibliography 335
Mark Corner has taught in universities in England, the Czech Republic and Belgium. He was also a Labour politician in local government from 1988-1992. For ten years he was a speaker in Brussels introducing the European Commission to groups of visitors. During his life he has become increasingly aware of the »EU system« as a unique set of institutions that more than any other can help to curb the destructive effects of nationalism.
