European Union and the End of Politics, The
by James Heartfield

Despite its crises the European Union keeps on getting stronger – its power comes from the decline of participation in national politics.

Europe is in crisis, but the European Union just gets stronger. Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have all been told that they must submit their budgets to EU-appointed bureaucrats. The 'soft coup' that put EU officials in charge of Greece and Italy shows that the Union is opposed to democracy. Instead of weakening the European Union, the budget crisis of 2012 has ended up with the eurocrats grabbing new powers to dictate terms. Over the years the forward march of the European Union has been widely misunderstood. James Heartfield explains that the rise of the EU is driven by the decline in political participation. Without political contestation national parliaments have become an empty shell. Where once elites drew authority from their own people, today they draw authority from the European Union, and other summits of world leaders. The growth of the European Union runs in tandem with the decline in national politics. As national sovereignty is hollowed out, technocratic administration from Brussels fills the void. This account of the rise of the European Union includes a full survey of the major schools of thought in European studies, and a valuable guide to those who want to take back control.

Reviews:
Synopsis: Even though Europe is in a state of social, economic, and political crisis, the European Union just gets stronger. Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have all been told that they must submit their budgets to EU-appointed bureaucrats. The 'soft coup' that put EU officials in charge of Greece and Italy shows that the Union is opposed to democracy. Instead of weakening the European Union, the budget crisis of 2012 has ended up with the eurocrats grabbing new powers to dictate terms. Over the years the forward march of the European Union has been widely misunderstood. In "The European Union and the End of Politics" James Heartfield explains that the rise of the EU is driven by the decline in political participation. Without political contestation national parliaments have become an empty shell. Where once elites drew authority from their own people, today they draw authority from the European Union, and other summits of world leaders. The growth of the European Union runs in tandem with the decline in national politics. As national sovereignty is hollowed out, technocratic administration from Brussels fills the void. "The European Union and the End of Politics" is an account of the rise of the European Union that includes a full survey of the major schools of thought in European studies, and a valuable guide to those who want to take back control.

Critique: Very highly recommended for community and academic library Political Science collections in general, and European Union supplemental studies lists in particular, "The European Union and the End of Politics" seems prophetic with Britain's newly resolved policy of seceding from the EU. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general reading with an interest in the subject that "The European Union and the End of Politics" is also available in a Kindle format ($18.99).

~ The Political Science Shelf, Midwest Book reviews
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The EU: a club for anti-democrats

...James Heartfield’s groundbreaking new book, The European Union and the End of Politics. Both parts of the title are important. Heartfield, a London-based writer and fellow contributor to spiked, explains the rise of the EU against the backdrop of the depoliticisation of nation states. He provides an innovative account of the rise of technocratic rule in its most advanced and grotesque incarnation. Read more: http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/the_eu_a_club_for_anti_democrats/13970#.Uo_BZU1FDIV ~ Daniel Ben Ami, Spiked-online.com
James Heartfield’s new book The European Union and the End of Politics (Zero Books) is about the evolving relationship between the European Union and its constituent member countries. It is a mix of political science, recent European history and a call for agitation from the people of the continent.

Read more: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2013/no-1307-july-2013/europe-blame ~ Kevin Cronin, Socialist Standard