ABSTRACT

Of all the crises which the European integration project has faced, the Brexit referendum of June 2016 in the UK can be regarded as one of the most significant. The UK as a Member State has been well known for its systematic disagreement with central aspects of the integration process and particularly with its deepening. But, as pointed out in the seminal work of David Easton (1975: 436), ‘political discontent is not always, or even usually, the signal for basic political change’. Even long-term dissatisfaction does not often translate into withdrawal of support for the regime. Yet this is what happened with the UK. Admittedly, the outcome of the British referendum was decided by a small majority of those voting. Nevertheless the verdict was secession from the Euro-polity, rupturing a relationship of over 40 years' standing.