From the margins to the mainstream: The evolution of the debate surrounding UK membership of the EU

Stephen George famously labeled the UK as the ‘awkward partner’ when analyzing the country’s relationship with the EU. The ‘permissive consensus’ evident in most EU nation states - at least prior to the Eurozone crisis - was never as clear-cut in the British Isles. However, recent developments have propelled the issue of UK membership to the centre-stage of British politics, serving to galvanize those on the side of the Eurosceptic debate. By analyzing factors such as the Conservative party’s splits over ‘Europe’, the rise of the UK Independence party (UKIP), Prime-Minister Cameron’s promise of a referendum on EU membership and the role and influence of the UK media, the purpose of the paper is to demonstrate how the debate surrounding UK membership of the EU has now completed its journey from the margins to the mainstream of British politics. It concludes with a discussion of the potential consequences of this
development