Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This note re-examines the survey data gathered by the Members of Parliament Project (MPP) on the attitudes of British parliamentarians towards European integration. Central to the analysis of the MPP is the idea that within the parties there is at work a dramatic cohort effect: long-serving Labour MPs are Eurosceptic, but the more recently elected Labour MPs are pro-European; whilst long-serving Conservative MPs are pro-European, but the more recently elected are Eurosceptic. The MPP have argued that this cohort effect began at different times in each party: in 1979 for the Conservatives and in 1987 for Labour. This note finds that whilst this is (largely) true for the Conservatives, it is not true for Labour. According to the MPP's own data, pro-European Labour MPs began entering the House of Commons in 1979, 8 years - and two elections - before the MPP have argued.

Keywords

Britain Euroscepticism intra-party divisions

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baker, David (1997) `Collaborative Research and The Members of Parliament Project', Politics 17: 59-68.

Baker, David , Imogen Fountain , Andrew Gamble and Steve Ludlam (1995) `Backbench Conservative Attitudes to European Integration', Political Quarterly 66: 221-233.

Baker, David , Imogen Fountain , Andrew Gamble and Steve Ludlam (1996) `The Blue Map of Europe: Conservative Parliamentarians and European Integration', in Colin Rallings , David Farrell , David Denver and David Broughton (eds) British Elections and Parties Yearbook 1995, pp. 51-73. London: Frank Cass.

Baker, David , Andrew Gamble , David Seawright with Katrina Bull (1999) `MPs and Europe: Enthusiasm, Circumspection or Outright Scepticism?', in Justin Fisher , Philip Cowley , David Denver and Andrew Russell (eds) British Elections and Parties Review Volume 9, pp. 171-185. London: Frank Cass.

Baker, David and David Seawright (1998a) `Introduction', in Baker and Seawright (eds), pp. 1-9.

Baker, David and David Seawright (1998b) `A “Rosy” Map of Europe? Labour Parliamentarians and European Integration', in Baker and Seawright (eds), pp. 57-87.

Baker, David and David Seawright , eds (1998c) Britain For and Against Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Cowley, Philip (1999) “`Europe” in the House of Commons', Brunel University Working Paper. Uxbridge: Brunel University.

Daniels, Philip (1998) `From Hostility to “Constructive Engagement”: The Europeanisation of the Labour Party', in Hugh Berrington (ed.) Britain in the Nineties, pp. 72-96. London: Frank Cass.

British Parliamentarians and European Integration

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References