The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EU
The main research objective of this article is to explain the motives behind the British political elite’s decision to hold nationwide referenda on continued membership in the EC/EU in 1975 and 2016. In order to do so, the author applies her own analytical framework using a theoretical model of dic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute of International Relations Prague
2017-06-01
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| Series: | Czech Journal of International Relations |
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| Online Access: | https://cjir.iir.cz/index.php/cjir/article/view/199 |
| _version_ | 1797959520850280448 |
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| author | Monika Brusenbauch Meislová |
| author_facet | Monika Brusenbauch Meislová |
| author_sort | Monika Brusenbauch Meislová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The main research objective of this article is to explain the motives behind
the British political elite’s decision to hold nationwide referenda on
continued membership in the EC/EU in 1975 and 2016. In order to do so,
the author applies her own analytical framework using a theoretical model
of dichotomous logics of appropriateness and consequentiality. The article
demonstrates the primacy of domestic parameters during the convening of
these referenda. In both cases, decisions came at a moment when the party
system was no longer able to accommodate EC/EU-related tensions within
the governing parties. In this context, the research points to a
strategisation and an instrumentalisation of the European agenda on
behalf of domestic intra-party politics. The author concludes that while the
official rhetoric accompanying the political elite’s decisions to hold both
referenda on continued membership in the EC/EU operated with the
normative logic of appropriateness, the real basis of these decisions lay in
the utilitarian logic of consequentiality.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:32:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a13b0272e9514e978200686232c48c8e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0323-1844 2570-9429 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:32:54Z |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | Institute of International Relations Prague |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Czech Journal of International Relations |
| spelling | doaj.art-a13b0272e9514e978200686232c48c8e2023-01-07T06:14:38ZengInstitute of International Relations PragueCzech Journal of International Relations0323-18442570-94292017-06-01522The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EUMonika Brusenbauch Meislová The main research objective of this article is to explain the motives behind the British political elite’s decision to hold nationwide referenda on continued membership in the EC/EU in 1975 and 2016. In order to do so, the author applies her own analytical framework using a theoretical model of dichotomous logics of appropriateness and consequentiality. The article demonstrates the primacy of domestic parameters during the convening of these referenda. In both cases, decisions came at a moment when the party system was no longer able to accommodate EC/EU-related tensions within the governing parties. In this context, the research points to a strategisation and an instrumentalisation of the European agenda on behalf of domestic intra-party politics. The author concludes that while the official rhetoric accompanying the political elite’s decisions to hold both referenda on continued membership in the EC/EU operated with the normative logic of appropriateness, the real basis of these decisions lay in the utilitarian logic of consequentiality. https://cjir.iir.cz/index.php/cjir/article/view/199referenda on continued membership in the EC/EUUnited Kingdompolitical elitemotivationlogic of appropriatenesslogic of consequentiality |
| spellingShingle | Monika Brusenbauch Meislová The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EU Czech Journal of International Relations referenda on continued membership in the EC/EU United Kingdom political elite motivation logic of appropriateness logic of consequentiality |
| title | The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EU |
| title_full | The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EU |
| title_fullStr | The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EU |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EU |
| title_short | The Strategic Context of the British Referenda on Continued Membership in the EC/EU |
| title_sort | strategic context of the british referenda on continued membership in the ec eu |
| topic | referenda on continued membership in the EC/EU United Kingdom political elite motivation logic of appropriateness logic of consequentiality |
| url | https://cjir.iir.cz/index.php/cjir/article/view/199 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT monikabrusenbauchmeislova thestrategiccontextofthebritishreferendaoncontinuedmembershipintheeceu AT monikabrusenbauchmeislova strategiccontextofthebritishreferendaoncontinuedmembershipintheeceu |