Breaking Up is Hard to Do : Britain and Europe's Dysfunctional Relationship

UK voters face an historic choice between remaining within the EU or leaving and seeking a different type of involvement in the world economy. Such an alternative is clearly possible: the UK has many advantages in an international context as a result of its historical alliances and involvement in international institutions. This book looks in detail at the arguments about the future of our relationship with Europe. As such, it informs the debate about whether the UK should remain in the EU or should leave. Furthermore, it examines the form a reshaped EU should take if a renegotiated Union was shaped by sound principles of economics and politically economy. In many areas, such as defence, environmental policy and some aspects of transport, some degree of international cooperation is desirable because of public good spillovers. However, such cooperation often involves cooperation beyond the EU, and this need not be directed by Brussels. Still less do such spillovers lead to the conclusion that we need ‘ever-closer union’ in Europe