Arguing About Britain and Europe in Parliamentary Discourse

With the Brexit negotiations still in full swing, this study takes a look back at how the allegedly most pro-European British party, the Liberal Democrats, approached the ever-divisive issue of «Europe» during the New Labour governments, both in terms of the arguments they advanced and the imagery and language they used.

Since the fateful referendum in 2016, Brexit dominates British politics. This book focuses on the parliamentary discourse of the allegedly most pro-European British political party, the Liberal Democrats. Combining a political discourse analysis with a Cultural Studies perspective, it scrutinises the party leaders' contributions to parliamentary debates on European integration regarding the arguments they advanced to justify their position from 19972010 and the verbal images they used to describe both Europe and Britain. The study's results contribute to understanding the current dynamics in British politics: sending mixed messages at best, the pro-European actors failed to make a convincing and coherent case for a common European future in the past.

Autorentext

Marlene Herrschaft-Iden studied in Passau, Sheffield and Oxford and worked as an adjunct lecturer in Passau and Tübingen. She is the author of articles on the British Conservative Party leaders debating European policies and developments in the UK s cultural sector in the wake of the Brexit referendum.

Inhalt

Liberal Democrats debating European integration Britain and Europe as «Imagined Communities» Analysis of party leaders' speeches in the UK Parliament from 19972010 Focus on Economic and Monetary Union Foreign Policy EU Treaties The Common Agricultural Policy EU Enlargement