Denis MacShane - Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe

DENIS MACSHANE was a Labour MP serving in Tony Blairs government as Minister for Europe. He was first elected as MP for Rotherham in 1994 and served until his resignation in 2012. MacShane studied at Oxford and London Universities and has four children. He is a prominent commentator on European issues.

No-one in their right mind wants, hopes or believes Brexit will happen. But it might happen by accident more than design. Denis MacShane knows more about what makes Europe tick than most and, in this important book, he explains why we should all understand how grave the situation could become.

Lord (Peter) Mandelson

I dont believe that Britain should or will leave the EU, but it is of course a disastrous possibility and Denis MacShane, with his wealth of experience on Europe, shows how it could happen unless all those who oppose it speak out forcefully.

Lord (Chris) Patten

This is an important analysis of the forces in Britain that have led us to the exit door of Europe. For those who do not wish this to happen, MacShanes book is essential reading.

Lord (Anthony) Giddens

A shrewd analysis of the forces shaping the British debate on the EU. The description of how eurosceptic press works is alarming. The book is full of trenchant arguments and telling anecdotes.

Charles Grant, Centre for European Reform

Denis MacShane and I spent nearly two decades in the House of Commons disagreeing on Europe without any quarter given, but at the same time I hope being friendly and respectful of each others views. This is an important description from a pro-European of the reasons why many consider EU membership to be inimical to the future of Britain.

Bill Cash MP

Like the Irish or Free Trade question in the past, the question of Europe is todays political dividing line issue as no other. To be or not to be in the EU and on what terms is an issue that dominates endless political debate so far this century. Denis MacShane knows the Europe issue as few others. He has lived and worked in different European countries, speaks languages, and has a contacts book of politicians and journalists in most EU member states. His book argues that if we get to a referendum then Britain will vote to leave the EU. Even if you disagree or hope that no such vote will take place it is important to know the arguments and passions that have made the Brexit question important in contemporary political discourse.

Mathew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts

This is an important study of the forces in Britain that could if they are not countered lead Britain out of the EU, which would be bad for Britain and for Europe.

Pascal Lamy, former Director, World Trade Organization

Brexit may not be as inevitable as Denis MacShane claims, but it is certainly a big risk. To stop it, we need arguments appealing to both the heart and the head made with conviction by people who are not afraid at the same time to acknowledge the EUs many weaknesses.

Hugo Dixon

BREXIT

HOW BRITAIN WILL LEAVE EUROPE

DENIS MACSHANE

Published in 2015 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd

www.ibtauris.com

Distributed worldwide by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd

Registered office: 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU

Copyright 2015 Denis MacShane

The right of Denis MacShane to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Every attempt has been made to gain permission for the use of the images in this book. Any omissions will be rectified in future editions.

References to websites were correct at the time of writing.

ISBN: 9781784533137

eISBN: 9780857739063

A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book arose from a lunch early in 2013 in the place de la Bourse in Paris where else should books be born? with my friend Laurent Joffrin, then editor of the Nouvel Observateur, now of Libration, and other media friends. It was just after David Cameron made his promise of an inout referendum in 2017 if re-elected.

My French friends snorted and said that the prime ministers dramatic pledge was just a bone thrown to Rupert Murdoch whom many across the Channel credit with a degree of mind-control over British prime ministers that only they can say is true or not as well as something to shut Ukip up. I disagreed and set out my thesis that a number of different forces had steadily grown in Britain which were now coming together and which could result in Britain leaving the EU.

As I explained my thinking both they and I realized I was telling them about the passions over Europe which had risen to prominence in Britain. Passions about which they knew little. Politicians, editors, business leaders, writers, saloniers and the man or woman in the street all had pronounced and often hostile views on Europe.

So although this is a book for my fellow Brits, it stems from a political and writing life which has been, in part, devoted to explaining to people on the continent how my country thinks about Europe. I left London to work on the continent soon after Margaret Thatchers election in 1979 and did not permanently return until the summer of 1994 when elected an MP. Then my parliamentary life, other than constituency duties, was taken over by the European question. I spent eight years as a parliamentary private secretary and minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then five serving as Tony Blairs political envoy to Europe and as UK delegate on the Council of Europe. My interest in Europe, some countries whose languages I speak and where I had spent time in prison for committing a criminal offence in Poland in 1982, running money to the underground trade union, NSZZ Solidarnosc, took over much of my life.

It would be impossible to list all the fellow politicians, thinkers, writers and officials who have made me see Europe in a different way. Among journalists I would like to single out the Guardians Europe correspondents, John Palmer, Martin Walker, Nick Watt and Ian Traynor, as well as the BBCs Mark Mardell and The Economists David Rennie and John Peet.

Britain is blessed with quality think-tanks and academics on EU issues, and any conversation or a chance to listen to or read Charles Grant, Tim Garton Ash or Mark Leonard, among others, has informed this book. A number of very able Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, John Kerr, Stephen Wall, Colin Budd, Paul Lever, Nigel Sheinwald, Kim Darroch and Peter Westmacott, have made me think harder about Europe, as have colleagues like Pascal Lamy, Jacques Lafitte and Jean-Claude Piris.

Tony Blair remains for me the prime minister who did the best for those in Britain the Labour Party exists to serve and seeing him in action on European affairs and talking to him about Europe was always fascinating. Chris Patten, Giles Radice, Tam Dalyell and John Monks encouraged me as an MP to challenge the myths and disinformation about the EU that I encountered daily on arriving in the Commons 20 years ago. I have lost count of all the debates in Parliament on Europe I took part in, and I remain grateful to all the MPs, pro- and anti-EU alike, who have made me think about our country and the rest of our region of the world.