I feared initially that this book would be rather dull—after all, most academic writing about the European Union certainly merits that description. As it turns out, however, Janice Morphet has provided a lively and readable account of the problems and issues arising from the outcome of the June 2016 referendum on the United Kingdom's membership in the European Union. Perhaps the readability of the work derives from the fact that, although clearly an expert on EU affairs, Morphet is not primarily an academic (having worked mainly in local and central government).
While lively and lucid, the analysis offered is also heavily weighted in an anti-Brexit direction. At the very least, Morphet views the European Union through rose-tinted spectacles, but it seems more likely that she is an enthusiast for the whole project. Thus, when describing “what does the EU do for the UK” (34–49)—which covers a long list including access to the free market, benefiting from environmental standards, enjoying energy security, maintaining a focus on equity, and so on—she comes close to depicting the European Union as a sort of Santa Claus dispensing goodies across the continent with an unblemished record of advancing “progressive” policies. There is no mention of the disastrous effect of defending the euro on the economies of southern Europe or of the catastrophic levels of youth unemployment that ensued. Nor is the fact noted that financial mismanagement has led to auditors refusing to sign off on the EU books for a number of years past. On the other hand, “what the UK does for the EU” is covered in less than a page (49–50) and makes no mention of the (not inconsiderable) financial contribution made.
Similarly, there are three chapters speculating about the post-Brexit situation focused on “what will stay the same?,” “what will be lost?,” and “what will be foregone?” The question “what will be gained?” is never posed.
The strongest chapter in the book considers the various options available in terms of the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. These range from the “Norway” option (membership of the European Economic Area) to a (highly unlikely) scenario in which the United Kingdom becomes a federal state and the different nations negotiate their own relationship with Europe. In this section, the author displays an impressive grasp of the complicated ways in which various nonmember states, micro-states, and enclaves relate to the European Union.
Morphet pays remarkably little attention to the referendum in which the British electorate voted to leave the European Union, even in a chapter titled “Brexit: How Did We Get Here?” Insofar as Morphet considers the issue, she seems to explain the outcome as a manifestation of what she insists on calling “popularism”—a reaction to globalization among those “left behind” by it. She comes close to suggesting that “Leave” voters simply did not know what they were doing and accuses pro-Leave campaigners of using bullying tactics and having “a flexible relationship with facts” (11). Perhaps she forgot that it was the “Remain” side that adopted “Project Fear,” which involved trying to scare people into voting that way by making dire predictions of what would happen to the economy if the vote was to leave. So far at least, these predictions have proved unfounded for the most part.
Polling evidence from the referendum shows that it was not just immigration that influenced “Leave” voters—although the pressure on housing and on public services such as education and health caused by free movement within the European Union was certainly widely resented. The most important reason for people voting “Leave” was to regain sovereignty. Put simply, many voters were just fed up with laws emanating from Brussels—many involving burdensome regulation—rather than the British Parliament, whose members could be held accountable at general elections. However, it never crosses Morphet's mind to consider how regaining sovereignty could be a blessing to the United Kingdom.
Inevitably, things have moved on with regard to Brexit since this book was written. Article 50 has been invoked; the 2017 British general election muddied the waters further but put a second Scottish independence referendum on the back burner; negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union are under way. Doubtless, there will have been further significant developments by the time this review appears.
Overall, the book contains plenty of useful information and interesting discussion—even if Morphet relies rather a lot on material from the Guardian. In the last chapter, for example, eleven of thirty-three references are to this left-leaning and anti-Brexit source. It is little wonder, then, that Polly Toynbee, Guardian journalist and grand dame of metropolitan liberalism, is quoted on the cover describing the book as “fair, balanced, lucid and rigorous.” She would say that, wouldn't she?
