WIREDGOV

Britain's somewhat single-minded concern for discipline and restraint has not allowed it to draw full political benefit from the EU budget, either on its targets or on its control, writes James Spence in the November issue of International Affairs. Rather than showing a consistent interest in promoting certain policy sectors, Britain has historically argued primarily for constraint and restraint, argues Spence.

Elsewhere, Julie Smith, a senior lecturer at the University of Cambridge, says that over the past four decades the effect of EU membership on Britain's political parties has been one of 'division and fragmentation'. 'Incapable of shaping the agenda as effectively... the parties have rendered the EU even less attractive to a sceptical public and the press.' Read the full article for free.

The role played by the media in shaping opinion on European matters is examined in an article by international relations scholar Oliver Daddow. He alights on the 'Murdoch effect', a phenomenon which, by convincing politicians they should fear both the EU and the press, has altered the terms of the debate across the political spectrum.

Also in the issue, the Financial Times' Quentin Peel and German historian Michael Stürmer interview former Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany Hans-Dietrich Genscher. Euroscepticism in Britain, says Genscher, is 'Europe's own fault', because it doesn’t present itself as attractively as it ought to.

Notes to Editors

Launch Event: Counting the Cost of Britain's 40 Years in the EU
Thursday 15 November 2012, 18:00 - 19:00
Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Dr Kirsty Hughes, Chief Executive, Index on Censorship