British Public Opinion and Party Policy Towards European Integration, 1973-2016 - (Security, Conflict and Cooperation in the Contemporary World)

Book Synopsis

This book provides the first detailed historical account of British public opinion and party policy towards European integration from 1973 (the year in which the UK joined the European Community) to 2016 (the year in which the UK voted to leave the European Union). It takes a thematic approach towards this subject, exploring party policy and public opinion towards significant developments in the European integration process during the period covered. These include moves towards deeper and flexible integration, economic and monetary union, the Single Market, enlargement, and foreign and defence policy cooperation. The author assesses the nature of British public opinion towards these developments - some of which Britain's government and main political parties supported, and others which they opposed - and analyses the extent to which party policies reflected public opinion.

From the Back Cover

"This is a rich and crisply written account of British party policy and public opinion towards the issue of European integration."

-- Alasdair Blair, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic, De Montfort University

"Smedley successfully combines the quantitative skills on opinion poll data of a political scientist with the longer-term perspective of a historian."

-- N. Piers Ludlow, Professor of International History, LSE

"Smedley's detailed and comprehensive analysis provides a stark backdrop to what many commentators regard as an extraordinary and incomprehensible failure of statecraft by a mature and respected democracy."

-- Martin Westlake, Visiting Professor in Practice, LSE European Institute

"Comprehensive, absorbing and approachably-written, this is a truly worthwhile read."

-- Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London

This book provides the first detailed historical account of British public opinion and party policy towards European integration from 1973 (the year in which the UK joined the European Community) to 2016 (the year in which the UK voted to leave the European Union). It takes a thematic approach towards this subject, exploring party policy and public opinion towards significant developments in the European integration process during the period covered. These include moves towards deeper and flexible integration, economic and monetary union, the Single Market, enlargement, and foreign and defence policy cooperation. The author assesses the nature of British public opinion towards these developments - some of which Britain's government and main political parties supported, and others which they opposed - and analyses the extent to which party policies reflected public opinion.

​Stuart Smedley is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Southampton, UK, and a Research Manager in the Ipsos UK Public Affairs team. His work has appeared in leading academic journals such as Twentieth Century British History and JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. He has taught modules on British politics at King's College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as on the history of Britain and European integration since 1945 at King's College London.

About the Author

​Stuart Smedley is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Southampton, UK, and a Research Manager in the Ipsos UK Public Affairs team. His work has appeared in leading academic journals such as Twentieth Century British History and JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. He has taught modules on British politics at King's College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as on the history of Britain and European integration since 1945 at King's College London.