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This Time it's Different: Legitimacy and the Limits of Differentiation after Brexit
Author(s) -
Glencross Andrew
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the political quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.373
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1467-923X
pISSN - 0032-3179
DOI - 10.1111/1467-923x.12525
Subject(s) - brexit , referendum , legitimacy , politics , government (linguistics) , treaty , political science , law and economics , order (exchange) , political economy , core (optical fiber) , law , economics , european union , international trade , philosophy , computer science , linguistics , finance , telecommunications
British political debate since the EU referendum has hinged on what type of Brexit to pursue: hard or soft. Yet, unlike in instances of treaty rejection, the EU made no counter offer to avoid a breakdown in relations that would follow the hardest of exits. This remarkable unity in not discounting the possibility of a hard Brexit demonstrates that UK withdrawal is very distinct from previous wrangles over EU reform. Drawing on the work of Kissinger, this article argues Brexit is a revolutionary act that denies the legitimacy of the EU order. Hence this process does not conform to other episodes of differentiation. When Westminster sought opt‐outs, it did not reject the core principles of integration. By not seeking to oppose a hard Brexit, Brussels has forced the UK government to find a new legitimising principle to govern EU – UK relations, transferring the burden of adjustment to London.