Abstract
When the Eurosceptic Conservatives and the pro-European Liberal Democrats entered into coalition, their constructive approach to Europe took commentators by surprise. An analysis of the leaders’ speeches demonstrates that they were instrumentally identified on the belief that membership of a reformed EU was in Britain’s national interest. In 2013, Cameron adopted a harder Eurosceptic position and emphasized the differences between Britain and Europe. He thus limited the possibility of ideological identification, leaving appeals to the national interest as his only rhetorical option. The chapter then examines two parliamentary debates, revealing that Eurosceptic Conservatives used the concept of parliamentary sovereignty to differentiate themselves ideologically from the Coalition’s position. This strategy proved highly effective in rallying backbench support for the EU (Referendum) Bill.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
As Hayek explains, ‘Wherever the barriers to the free exercise of human ingenuity were removed man became rapidly able to satisfy ever-widening ranges of desire. And while the rising standard soon led to the discovery of very dark spots in society … there was probably no class that did not substantially benefit from the general advance’ (2004: 16–17).
- 2.
The primary responsibility for the Bill lay with William Hague and the Conservative Minister for Europe, David Lidington . However, the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne (the deputy chair of the European Affairs Committee) were also actively involved in the process (Hazell and Yong 2012: 165).
- 3.
Echoing this point, James Clappison (Conservative) asserted that: ‘Whether we have a referendum under the circumstances detailed in the Bill depends on whether Ministers think they are significant enough. What a thing! Ministers are to decide whether something is significant enough, and the explanatory notes to the Bill then tell us that anyone who is aggrieved by such a decision should go off to the courts to seek a judicial review. What on earth is Parliament for?’ (HC Deb., 7 December 2010, vol. 520 col. 251).
- 4.
See Jenkin (2017).
- 5.
Laura Sandys (Conservative) made a similar point, saying: ‘had we discussed referendums—or had we had passed such a Bill six, seven or eight years ago—we would not face the level of distrust in the country that we are facing because of the Lisbon treaty ’ (HC Deb., 7 December 2010, vol. 520 col. 244).
- 6.
Likewise, the Conservative MP Nick de Bois argued that: ‘There is wiggle room in the Bill, and that is not good because we are attempting not just to pass a Bill, but to rebuild trust between the British people and the Government by challenging the transfer of powers in our relationship with Europe … it is the little grey areas of wiggle room that are, in effect, a Trojan horse that can be exploited and undermine the genuine attempts of the Bill to protect any transfer of power’ (HC Deb., 7 December 2010, vol. 520 col. 258).
References
Atkins, J. (2016). (Re)imagining Magna Carta: Myth, Metaphor and the Rhetoric of Britishness. Parliamentary Affairs, 69(3), 603–620.
Bevir, M., Daddow, O., & Schnapper, P. (2015). Introduction: Interpreting British European Policy. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(1), 1–17.
Cameron, D. (2011, January 28). Speech to the Davos World Economic Forum. Retrieved from http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2011/01/28/david-cameron-s-davos-speech-in-full
Cameron, D. (2012, June 29). Prime Minister’s Speech in Brussels. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-ministers-speech-in-brussels
Cameron, D. (2013, January 23). EU Speech at Bloomberg. Retrieved from http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/01/david-camerons-speech-eu-full-text
Clegg, N. (2011, November 9). Reform or Wither: A Vision for a Prosperous, Competitive Europe. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/deputy-prime-ministers-speech-at-the-european-parliament
Clegg, N. (2012, November 1). Nick Clegg Speech on His Vision for the UK in Europe. Retrieved from http://www.libdems.org.uk/nick_clegg_speech_on_his_vision_for_the_uk_in_europe#
Clegg, N. (2013, October 8). In Europe for the National Interest. Retrieved from http://www.libdems.org.uk/nick_clegg_speech_on_a_richer_stronger_safer_greener_europe
Clegg, N. (2016). Politics: Between the Extremes. London: The Bodley Head.
Copsey, N., & Haughton, T. (2014). Farewell Britannia? ‘Issue Capture’ and the Politics of David Cameron’s 2013 EU Referendum Pledge. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 52(Annual Review), 74–89.
d’Ancona, M. (2013). In It Together: The Inside Story of the Coalition Government. London: Viking.
Fontana, C., & Parsons, P. (2015). ‘One Woman’s Prejudice’: Did Margaret Thatcher Cause Britain’s Anti-Europeanism? JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(1), 89–105.
Gifford, C. (2014). The People Against Europe: The Eurosceptic Challenge to the United Kingdom’s Coalition Government. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 52(3), 512–528.
Goes, E. (2014). The Coalition and Europe: A Tale of Reckless Drivers, Steady Navigators and Imperfect Roadmaps. Parliamentary Affairs, 67(1), 45–63.
Goes, E. (2015). The Liberal Democrats and the Coalition: Driven to the Edge of Europe. The Political Quarterly, 86(1), 93–100.
Hayek, F. A. (2004). The Road to Serfdom. Abingdon: Routledge Classics.
Hazell, R., & Yong, B. (2012). The Politics of Coalition: How the Cameron-Clegg Government Works. Oxford: Hart Publishing Ltd.
HC Deb., 7 December 2010, vol. 520 cols. 191–264.
HC Deb., 5 July 2013, vol. 565 cols. 1172–1236.
Heppell, T., Crines, A., & Jeffery, D. (2017). The United Kingdom Referendum on European Union Membership: The Voting of Conservative Parliamentarians. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12529
Jenkin, B. (2017, January 30). Westminster Reflections: Bernard Jenkin MP Says President Trump Could Be Yet Another Huge Challenge for the EU. Diplomat. Retrieved from http://www.diplomatmagazine.com/westminster-reflections-bernard-jenkin-mp-says-president-trump-could-be-yet-another-huge-challenge-for-the-eu/
Laws, D. (2016). Coalition: The Inside Story of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government. London: Biteback Publishing Ltd.
Lynch, P. (2011). The Con-Lib Agenda for Europe. In S. Lee & M. Beech (Eds.), The Cameron-Clegg Government: Coalition Politics in an Age of Austerity (pp. 218–233). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Lynch, P. (2015a). Conservative Modernization and European Integration: From Silence to Salience and Schism. British Politics, 10(2), 185–203.
Lynch, P. (2015b). The Coalition and the European Union. In M. Beech & S. Lee (Eds.), The Conservative-Liberal Coalition: Examining the Cameron-Clegg Government (pp. 243–258). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Martin, L. W., & Vanberg, G. (2008). Coalition Government and Political Communication. Political Research Quarterly, 61(3), 502–516.
Seldon, A., & Snowdon, P. (2015). Cameron at 10: The Inside Story 2010–2015. London: William Collins.
Shipman, T. (2016). All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain’s Political Class. London: William Collins.
Vail, M. I. (2015). Between One-Nation Toryism and Neoliberalism: The Dilemmas of British Conservatism and Britain’s Evolving Place in Europe. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(1), 106–122.
Watt, N. (2013, June 30). David Cameron Challenges Nick Clegg Over EU Referendum. Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jun/30/david-cameron-nick-clegg-eu-referendum
Wellings, B., & Baxendale, H. (2015). Euroscepticism and the Anglosphere: Traditions and Dilemmas in Contemporary English Nationalism. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(1), 123–139.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Atkins, J. (2018). The European Union. In: Conflict, Co-operation and the Rhetoric of Coalition Government. Rhetoric, Politics and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-31796-4_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-31796-4_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-230-35967-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-31796-4
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)