The multi-faceted nature of party-based Euroscepticism

Conti, Nicolò; Memoli, Vincenzo

doi:10.1057/ap.2011.22

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…De Vries and Edwards, 2009;Hooghe et al, 2002). It's actually simplistic to describe RLPs as 'Eurosceptic': some advocate withdrawal from the EU, others want to reform it from within (Conti and Memoli, 2012;Dunphy, 2004). Nevertheless, all oppose the 'really existing EU' and so public distrust with the EU will arguably increase RLPs' mobilization potential, especially since the centre-left's pragmatic adaptation to the EU's market-integration policies has hitherto allowed RLPs to adopt opposition to the EU as an identity marker vis-à-vis social democracy (Moschonas, 2009: 17).…”

Section: The Demand Side 'Euroscepticism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of left field? Explaining the variable electoral success of European radical left parties

2012

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European radical left parties (RLPs) are gradually receiving greater attention. Yet, to date, what has received insufficient focus is why such parties have maintained residues of electoral support after the collapse of the USSR and why this support varies so widely. This article is the first to subject RLPs to large-n quantitative analysis, focusing on 39 parties in 34 European countries from 1990 to 2008. It uses the 'supply and demand' conceptual framework developed for radical right parties to identify a number of socio-economic, political-cultural and party-system variables in the external environment that might potentially affect RLP support. The article finds the most persuasive variables to include political culture (past party success), the level of unemployment, Euroscepticism and antiglobalization sentiment, the electoral threshold and competition from Green and radical right parties. The findings suggest several avenues for future research and provide a framework that can be adapted to explain the electoral success of other party families.

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Section: The Demand Side 'Euroscepticism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of left field? Explaining the variable electoral success of European radical left parties

2012

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“…The everyday politics of the European public sphere 221 parties and political systems (Conti & Memoli, 2011;Kopecký & Mudde, 2002;Szczerbiak & Taggart, 2008;Taggart, 1998). However, as the rest of this article suggests, it is also possible to identify counterpublics that exist at a much more local level, where the groups' sense of Euroscepticism is based on personal experiences of immigration, for example.…”

Section: The Challengementioning

confidence: 99%

The Everyday Politics of the European Public Sphere: Moving Beyond EU Policy Perspectives

Ketola

2012

Journal of Civil Society

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While in the academic debate the idea of a European public sphere is seen from both consensual and conflictual perspectives, in the field of European Union (EU) policymaking, it tends to assume the profile of a neutral and all-inclusive social space. By focusing on the street level, this article suggests that such a view is problematic because it fails to resonate with people's everyday experiences. The article contrasts EU policy on civil society engagement and immigration with examples of civil society reactions to immigration in two corners of Europe-on the Italian island of Lampedusa and in the city of Athens, Greece. In order for the concept of a European public sphere to garner meaning outside the EU policy process, it needs to be anchored in the everyday politics of social space in Europe. This means embracing an 'ethnographic approach' that is sensitive to difference, diversity, and conflict, and to the daily (micro)political struggles that are played out in the public sphere.

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“…Specifically, a number of factors may affect party positions on the EU issue including ideology (Hooghe and Marks, 2009), the party system and electoral system (Ray, 2007), intra-party divisions (Gabel and Scheve, 2007), whether a party is in office (Conti and Memoli, 2012) and party strategy (Steenbergen and Scott, 2004 (Green, 2007(Green, , 2011. The emergence of Eurosceptic niche parties acting as political entrepreneurs (Hooghe and Marks 2009, 13;de Vries and Hobolt, 2012) also increases EU issue voting.…”

Section: Eu Issue Votingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rivalry on the right: The Conservatives, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the EU issue

Lynch

Whitaker

2012

Br Polit

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PARTY (UKIP) AND THE EU ISSUEThe 2010 general election provided further evidence of the development of multi-party politics in the United Kingdom. The Conservatives and Labour polled a combined post-war low of 65 per cent of the vote while small parties together scored 12 per cent but remained significantly underrepresented in the House of Commons. Having fallen short of a parliamentary majority, the Conservatives entered coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Beyond Westminster, multi-party politics is the norm in elections to the devolved assemblies, the European Parliament and many local authorities.The presence of niche parties changes the parameters of party competition. Meguid (2005) identifies green, ethno-regionalist and radical right parties as niche parties -that is, parties with a distinctive focus on a limited set of non-economic issues which lie beyond the traditional class cleavage and are largely ignored by mainstream parties. Adams et al (2006, 513) use a broader definition of niche parties as non-centrist or ideologically extreme parties, as does Wagner (2011, 3) who highlights their focus on non-economic issues. Hard Eurosceptic parties oppose European integration as embodied in the European Union (EU) or adopt policies tantamount to the current EU project (Taggart and Szczerbiak's 2008, 247-8). These parties do not feature prominently in this literature but, given their location on an anti-European integration versus pro-European integration cleavage and focus on an issue often ignored by mainstream parties, they fit the niche party criteria. However, hard Eurosceptic parties are not part of a coherent or extensive party family: hard Euroscepticism is found across the ideological spectrum and may be one of a set of positions rather than a party's guiding ethos. Although the EU issue remains their primary concern, the extension of EU competences has seen some hard Eurosceptic parties broaden their 2 focus. Hard Eurosceptic parties might thus be treated as a distinctive sub-set of niche parties .This article adds to the literature on party competition by examining the different strategies employed by mainstream and niche parties, using the Conservatives and UK Independence Party (UKIP) as a case study. European integration is the key issue in competition between the two, with UKIP supporting withdrawal from the EU. A number of caveats are required. The focus on the Conservatives and UKIP does not imply that David Cameron's modernisation project was flawed because it moved the Conservatives to the centre to compete with Labour. This was necessary, but not sufficient, for the Conservatives to regain power. However, the Conservatives' move to the centre and downplaying of the EU issue created space that UKIP has exploited. Nor do we suggest that the UKIP challenge is the main driver of Conservative strategy on the EU issue. Intra-party divisions and competition with Labour have been more significant, but Conservative responses to these also shaped its strategy towards UKIP. Finally we are not sugg...

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The multi-faceted nature of party-based Euroscepticism

Cited by 30 publications

References 19 publications

Out of left field? Explaining the variable electoral success of European radical left parties

Out of left field? Explaining the variable electoral success of European radical left parties

The Everyday Politics of the European Public Sphere: Moving Beyond EU Policy Perspectives

Rivalry on the right: The Conservatives, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the EU issue

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