Euroescepticismo y populismo: el caso del Brexit

Olivas Osuna, José Javier ORCID: 0000-0002-9877-8480 (2021) Euroescepticismo y populismo: el caso del Brexit. In: Gratius, Susanne and Rivero, Ángel, (eds.) Populismo y política exterior en Europa y América. Tecnos (Firm), Madrid, Spain. ISBN 9788430984046

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Abstract

Certain socio-economic and geographical factors can be instrumentalised to alter citizen attitudes and political identities with lasting effects at the level of domestic and international dynamics. Ultimately, the case of Brexit shows that to understand the success of Eurosceptic discourse, it is necessary to consider how populist narratives are articulated that divert attention from 'rational' considerations and 'objective data' to focus on fostering feelings of grievance and antagonism. These narratives effectively combine general national or international concerns - about immigration, relocation of production, cultural mixing, etc. - with specific local ones - relative economic decline, flight of human capital and companies to big cities, infrastructure shortages, etc. Eurosceptic leaders, like other populist leaders, try to magnify pre-existing frustrations and dramatise moments of crisis in order to erode confidence in elites and institutions. Their simplistic and unqualified arguments seek to morally disqualify the political adversary and anyone who does not fit their idealised conception of society - elites, minorities, immigrants, etc. -. These processes of constructing otherness and attributing blame are adapted to different geographical realities in order to take advantage of previous problems and prejudices that amplify feelings of mistrust, fear, indignation and hatred. Once these negative emotions have been stimulated, Eurosceptic leaders present in their discourse a simplistic solution that meshes with positive sentiment: the hope that, by breaking with the EU and excluding the "other" (or rather "the others"), the "people" will regain the sovereignty and ability to control their future that they have (supposedly) lost with globalisation and European integration. This process manages to transform the stance towards Europe into a new political identity, the impact of which can be seen not only in the referendum result, but also in the general and local elections that followed.

Item Type:	Book Section
Official URL:	https://www.tecnos.es/ficha.php?id=6861699
Additional Information:	© 2021 Tecnos
Divisions:	LSE IGA: LSE IDEAS Canada Blanch Contemporary Spanish Studies
Subjects:	J Political Science > JZ International relations J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
Date Deposited:	03 Dec 2021 12:33
Last Modified:	14 Sep 2024 10:17
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/112786

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