Wielka Brytania w Unii Europejskiej – przeszłość, teraźniejszość, przyszłość

• Authors: Ronek Grzegorz

Title variants

EN

Britain in the European Union – its past, present and future

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The aim of this article is to depict and analyse Britain’s relations with the European Union, their historical context, the present time and possible scenarios for the future. These relations have always been strained. Europe has been seen as a menace rather than an opportunity. Britain used to slow down the process of integration and consequently has often fallen behind and had no choice but to catch up. However, the portrayal of Britain as an “awkward partner” is only partly justified. Based on its specific understanding of national sovereignty, Britain has developed a much more pragmatic and instrumental approach towards Europe. Nevertheless, the country was a strong driving force of integration in many crucial fields, like the single market, trade or defence policy. Britain has always accepted its membership in the EEC/EU only when exclusion from them could threaten Britain’s national interests, mainly in economic dimension. The European integration has always been a contentious issue and an important tool of domestic policy. Britain decided to join the EEC in 1973 mainly because of its poor economic performance. Nowadays one of the most burning issues is the announced referendum concerning Britain’s further membership in the EU. The withdrawal from the EU is possible, but there is little probability of it, because of strong economic ties. However, if eurozone integration proceeds without Britain and so deeply that the single market starts to fragment, the strongest argument for British membership could be undermined. Generally, we should expect further cooperation between Britain and the EU based on mutual pragmatism.

Keywords

EN

Great Britain; the European Union; membership; common market; referendum

• Publisher: Księgarnia Akademicka
• Journal: Politeja : Pismo Wydziału Studiów Miedzynarodowych i Politycznych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
• Year: 2015
• Issue: 6(37)
• Pages: 345-365

Contributors

author

Ronek Grzegorz

• Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II

References

• Bartlett C.J., A History of Postwar Britain, 1945‑1974, London 1977.
• Better Off in a Better Europe – British Influence Launches Manifesto, [online] http://www.euronews.com/2013/07/16/better‑off‑in‑a‑better‑europe‑british‑influence‑launches‑manifesto.
• Biskup P., Integracja czy dezintegracja? Przyszłość Unii Europejskiej z perspektywy brytyjskiej, „Analiza Natolińska” 2013, nr 5.
• Booth S., Howarth Ch., Trading Places: Is EU Membership Still the Best Option for UK Trade?, Open Europe, 12 VI 2012, [online] http://openeurope.org.uk/intelligence/britain‑and‑the‑eu/eu‑membership/.
• Bulmer S., New Labour, New European Policy? Blair, Brown and Utilitarian Supranationalism, „Parliamentary Affairs” 2008, Vol. 61, nr 4, [online] http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsn029.
• Butler D., Kitzinger U., The 1975 Referendum, London 1976.
• Cameron D., EU Speech at Bloomberg, 23 I 2013, [online] https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/eu‑speech‑at‑bloomberg.
• Childs D., Britain since 1945. A Political History, London–New York 2001.
• Christian Democracy in Europe since 1945, t. 2, red. M. Gehler, W. Kaiser, London 2004.
• Ciamaga L. i in., Unia Europejska. Podręcznik akademicki, Warszawa 2002.
• Dorey P., British Politics since 1945, Oxford–Cambridge (Mass.) 1995, Making Contemporary Britain.
• Ed Miliband Election Campaign Launch Speech in Full, Politics.co.uk, 5 I 2015, [online] http://www.politics.co.uk/comment‑analysis/2015/01/05/ed‑miliband‑election‑campaign‑launch‑speech‑in‑full.
• European Union (Referendum) Bill 2013‑14, UK Parliament, [online] http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013‑14/europeanunionreferendum.html.
• Frankel J., British Foreign Policy 1945‑1973, Oxford 1975.
• Greenleaf W.H., The British Political Tradition, t. 2: The Ideological Heritage, London 1983.
• Hennessy P., Whitehall, London 1990.
• Home Secretary Oral Statement on 2014 Decision, 9 VII 2013, [online] http://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home‑secretary‑oral‑statement.
• In with Reform or Out with No Influence – CBI Chief Makes Case for EU Membership, CBI, 4 XI 2013, [online] http://www.cbi.org.uk/media‑centre/press‑releases/2013/11/in‑with‑reform‑our‑out‑with‑no‑influence‑cbi‑chief‑makes‑case‑for‑eu‑membership/.
• Ingle S., The British Party System, Oxford 1987.
• Jassem A., Wielka Brytania a Wspólnoty Europejskie: aspekty ustrojowo‑polityczne, „Studia Europejskie” 2003, nr 1.
• Kitzinger U., Diplomacy and Persuasion. How Britain Joined the Common Market, London 1973.
• Labour Party Manifesto (1970) – Now Britain’s Strong – Let’s Make It Great to Live In, [online] http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab70.htm.
• Labour Party Manifesto (February 1974) – The Labour Party: Let us work together – Labour’s way out of the crisis, [online] http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab74feb.htm.
• Labour Party Manifesto (1979) – The Labour Way is the Better Way, [online] http://www.politicsresources. net/area/uk/man/lab79.htm.
• Leach R., Coxall B., Robins L., British Politics, Basingstoke 2006, Palgrave Foundations.
• Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010, [online] http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge10/man/parties/libdem_manifesto_2010.pdf.
• May A., Britain and Europe since 1945, London–New York 1999, Seminar Studies in History.
• Miliband E., Willmott G., The Labour Party European Manifesto, [online] http://www.yourbritain.org.uk/uploads/files/LABOUR_PARTY_euro_manifesto.pdf.
• Moran M., The Politics of Industrial Relations. The Origins, Life and Death of the 1971 Industrial Relations Act, Basingstoke 1977, Studies in Policy‑Making.
• Morgan K., Labour in Power, 1945‑1951, Oxford 1985.
• Nicholls A., Britain and the EC: The Historical Background, [w:] The United Kingdom and EC
• Membership Evaluated, red. S. Bulmer, S. George, A. Scott, London 1992.
• Open An and Democratic Europe, [w:] Invitation to Join the Government of Britain. The Conservative Manifesto 2010, [online] http://www.conservativehome.blogs.com/files/conservative‑manifesto‑2010.pdf.
• Oxford The Companion to Twentieth Century British Politics, red. J. Ramsden, Oxford 2005.
• Rennie D., The Continent or the Open Sea: Does Britain Have a European Future?, Centre for European Reform, 28 V 2012, [online] http://www.cer.org.uk/publications/archive/report/2012/continent‑or‑open‑sea‑does‑britain‑have‑european‑future.
• Sporek T., Teoria i praktyka głównych założeń europejskiej unii walutowej, „Studia Europejskie” 1997, nr 4.
• Techau J., Der gebremste Europäer. Gordon Browns Europa‑Politik, „DGAP Analyse” 2008, nr 1.

Identifiers

DOI

10.12797/Politeja.12.2015.37.18