This book examines how the Left is affected by European integration. It starts from the rejection of the European Constitution in France and the Netherlands in 2005, in which left-wing parties played key roles. The book explores the level of pro- and anti-EU sentiment among left-wing parties. It discusses the left's reaction to the EU's neo-liberal policies such as Laval, the Lisbon Agenda and the Bolkestein Directive. It examines the extent to which parties are Europeanised or remain nationally-oriented. The book looks at parties from all three left-wing families -social democrats,...

The global financial crisis of 2007-8 did not offer the political and economic opportunities to the left that many thought it would. As financial institutions collapsed, traditional left-wing issues were apparently back on the agenda. However, instead of being a trigger for a resurgence of the left, in many European countries left-wing parties have suffered savage electoral defeat. At the same time, the crisis has led to austerity programmes being implemented across Europe. This book brings together essays that consider ten EU member states, including all bail-out recipients and some of the...