The Eurosceptic 2014 European Parliament Elections

"The Eurosceptic 2014 European Parliament Elections: Second Order or Second Rate?" shows that despite the popularity of eurosceptic parties in this election, it was, in fact, still largely 'second order' in providing a distorted reflection of national political concerns, even in countries where voters would have been expected to vote primarily in opposition to EU-imposed austerity measures. As argued by the book's editors, this situation is likely to continue as long as EU elections are 'second rate'-i.e., don't appear to give voters any real power over the EU's policy agenda. The book is a must-read for anyone who thinks they understood what happened in the 2014 EP elections but equally important, for grasping the profound effect that European issues are having on national parties and elections despite their second order and second-rate nature in European elections." (Professor Lauren McLaren, University of Glasgow, UK) "Understanding the rise of Eurosceptic parties has never been more important. Rather than providing greater democratic legitimacy for the European project, the electoral success of Eurosceptic parties in recent elections to the European Parliament has presented the EU with a daunting challenge. This timely volume develops the argument that the problem with European Parliament elections is that they are essentially still "second rate". Bringing together leading scholars of European politics, the volume presents nuanced and insightful analyses of the electoral success of Eurosceptic parties in individual member states. This book provides a significant contribution to our understanding electoral politics in Europe." (Professor Sara Hobolt, London School of Economics, UK)

This edited collection explores the role of Euroscepticism in the European Parliament (EP) elections of 2014 both in particular EU Member States and across broader regions. It shows how the “second rate” features of elections with no clear agenda-setting role facilitated the astonishing success of Eurosceptic parties while the traditionally “second order” nature of purely legislative elections amplified this outcome, giving it a quite different character than the outcome of any previous EP elections, with potential in turn to affect outcomes of later national elections as well. The chapters draw on a number of different methodological approaches and focus on different perspectives regarding how Euroscepticism played a role in the election context, investigating public opinion, party strategies and media coverage; and assessing how these elections created links to national party politics with likely consequences for electoral success of Eurosceptic parties in future national elections and referendums. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars in the fields of European politics, voting behavior Euroscepticism.