Brexit is not an inevitability. In the absence of charismatic pro-European voices, the pro-EU camp will struggle to make its voice heard against eurosceptic voices.
The amount of leverage the threat of Brexit has for the UK depends not so much on what the UK contributes to the EU but about how valued that contribution is by the EU.
Britain may have a reputation as a reluctant member of the EU, but its absence would be deeply felt. The merits of a referendum on a ‘Brexit’ need to be questioned.
With a ‘Brexit’ on the agenda, and the EU’s vision questioned, it should be kept in mind that integration is chiefly about managing divergence and difference.
