| I Problem. As Europe has moved progressively toward greater political integration the European Union has repeatedly had its effort defeated in referendums. An ever increasing percentage of the public seems to be reluctant to abandon the control they have to the European Union. Are there factors that the people from across Europe have in common that can be used to explain this Euroscepticism?;II Methodology. As one of the most skeptical people in Europe the British are part of the leading edge of the resistance to the increased political integration. By establishing a set of criteria from values the British people used to describe themselves, a baseline identity for British was established. Using the framework established by the British a parallel identity was established for the French. Since France has been leading the movement toward great federalism in the European Union, the identity was used as a contrast to the British. We then used the contrast in an examination of the actions of the two governments in three major debates in the history of the European Union.;III Results. The application of the comparative identity systems to the debates surrounding the Common Agriculture Policy, the Economic and Monetary Union and the European Constitution showed that there was a disconnect between the leaders of the European Union and the people of Europe. Even on those occasions when the public was afforded the opportunity to express their opinion, the leadership dismissed them. The identity system values were accurate when used to explain the behavior of the public in the referendum, or to explain the devotion to specific policies.;VI Conclusion. The political integration of Europe is viewed as a threat to the identity and values of the people. The people identify with the individual nation state more than with Europe and as a result there are limits to the extent that political integration can progress in Europe. |
