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The British Discourse on Europe 2013: Cameron and the Second Referendum

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The UK’s Relationship with Europe

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Abstract

This chapter analyses the proto-referendum debates of 2013, beginning with David Cameron’s Bloomberg speech. This speech set out the Prime Minister’s intention to renegotiate the UK’s relationship with the EU and commitment to hold an in/out referendum on EU membership. The major themes in the discourse are identified as Sovereignty and Democracy; Immigration; and Economy, Jobs, and Prosperity. The chapter observes that Pro-European voices occupy a minor position in the discourse of 2013. It is Eurosceptics of both the more qualified, “soft” variety like the Prime Minister and the outright rejectionist, “hard” Eurosceptics like UKIP leader Nigel Farage who predominate. An important change in the discourse is that immigration has become a major part of the debate since 1992–1993.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law and ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    John Todd

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Todd, J. (2016). The British Discourse on Europe 2013: Cameron and the Second Referendum. In: The UK’s Relationship with Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33669-5_5

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