A Tale of Two Unions: The British Union and the European Union After Brexit

by Mark Corner

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783732864829
Publisher:	transcript Verlag
Publication date:	09/30/2023
Series:	Edition Politik , #141
Sold by:	Libreka GmbH
Format:	eBook
Pages:	346
Sales rank:	311,486
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

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