Euroscepticism

In the aftermath of the Dutch EU-Ukraine Association Agreement referendum, doubts remain on why voters chose to vote as they did.What explains the result, what solutions are likely and what is the way ahead?

Back in January 2013, David Cameron promised the British people a referendum on the European Union on the condition that the Conservatives would win the next election. What was once a fleeting promise has now become a reality and British voters have a choice to make – Brexit or Bremain?

The Dutch referendum on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is a matter of days away. Despite the best efforts of campaigners, the electorate has remained largely apathetic. Now we ask: why is a referendum being organised on a topic which apparently does not interest voters; and further to this, what will its outcome mean for Europe?

The Irish Greens are back in the Dail (the Irish national parliament).

The idea of a European Community, based on a promise of shared peace and prosperity, was dealt a strong blow this summer, in a way that we couldn’t have expected even months before.

‘Neither left nor right, but forward’ has been a semi-official motto of many Green Parties across Europe since their inception in the 1960s and ‘70s. But as the Green Party of England & Wales’ (GPEW) Autumn Conference drew to a close this weekend, the party appears to be maintaining or indeed continuing its leftward drive. The implications could be interesting both for Britain and for Green Parties elsewhere.

Do we really want more Europe, integration and solidarity? Or should we perhaps first ask exactly what ‘more Europe, integration and solidarity’ should look like? The results of the European elections in Poland show that ‘old federalism’ is retreating.

The European Elections, held in tandem with local elections, proved to be a turning point for the Irish Greens. It was a real comeback at local level, particularly in Dublin, and came desperately close to electing an MEP. Green Foundation Ireland (GFI) has played a real part in this recovery.

Greens are impatient people. The sentiment of urgency has been fuelling their calls for radical change over the past four decades.

There are parallels between the Europe of 1914 and that of 2014. Today’s divisions are the result of economic inequality and a crisis of democracy. The answer lies in social policy and in an anti-nationalist repolitisation of Europe.