Rob Bowker/Flickr. (CC 2.0 by-nc-nd)
Brexit – Britain’s exit from the European Union – is more than a debate on the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the European continent. This relationship has been difficult ever since Britain joined the European Community in the mid-1970s, a time when France was facing its first referendum on the question of Europe, because of the way this great nation sees herself in relation to Europe as a continent, on the one hand, and as a political and economic entity, on the other.
The French have already been there. We measure well the risks of a referendum for the ruling power and the entire political class, the potential benefits for the opposition, the dangers of economic destabilisations, and the symbolic ramifications.
