In days gone by, the Social democrats were seen as the natural rulers of Sweden. But in the past few years the center-right coalition has managed to hold on to power by drawing votes from the middle-class. Does it mean the Swedes are rejecting the traditional, strong Nordic welfare state? Or is it rather a sign of a more European-wide malaise about social-democracy?
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Sweden and social democracy: is the old couple about to break up?
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The (Second) British Rebellion : Is this the end of Britain in the EU ?
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Stars and Crowns: old monarchies, new states and a certain idea of Europe
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Is the British press more eurosceptic than the British public?
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Why Nordic countries are a cornerstone of British foreign policy
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A new British attitude towards Europe?
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The EU bill: the victory of euroscepticism in British politics?
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And here we go again, we're back the Major years. It has been 38 years, 9 months and 24 days since the United Kingdom of Great Britain joined the EEC. But originally a meaningless debate triggered only through petition, the issue of Britain's membership has erupted into a full-scale Conservative rebellion defying the Prime Minister while 70% of Britons are demanding a referendum. Just like John Major did, David Cameron's leadership is under heavy threat. What did Major face ? What are the stakes and what does it mean about the current state of mind of politicians and public opinion ?
For a large part of European citizens and tens of millions of spectators around the globe, the 29th of April was a day to remember. Yet, while the royal wedding triggered worldwide excitement, the European Union struggles to assert its legitimacy and gain citizens’ support.
Euro-scepticism is said to be widely spread among British public. A quick look at the press seems to confirm it : virulent (and sometimes vulgar) frontpages against the EU help sell big newspapers by millions. But to what extent does it reflect the British public opinion ? Does it mean that trust in the EU is lower than trust in national political institutions ?
Currently, David Cameron is the new face on the diplomatic stage in Europe – at the World Economic Forum in Davos, at the European Council Summits in Brussels, at the Security Conference in Munich. If the coalition government plays an active role on the European stage, who are its partners? The analysis of a summit that took place in London in late January, called “UK-Nordic-Baltic”, reveals that British foreign policy has developed a new strategic priority: Northern Europe.
In the wake of last week's article, this one follows a conference which took place at Westminster on February 1rst and gathered Members of Parliament from the three main British parties – the Conservative Party, the Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The debate helped us answer these questions: how can we characterize the British new stance towards the EU? And how does the growing division between euro-pragmatists and euro-sceptics affect the UK’s position in the EU?
The election of the new coalition government in the UK in spring 2010 has brought a more defensive attitude towards the European Union. A good example of this political change after ten years of “positive pragmatism” under the New Labour government is the European Union Bill. After two readings at the House of Commons, the bill began the Committee stage in January – a word-by-word analysis of the bill’s measures. But for some Conservative MPs, it seems that the bill does not go far enough.
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