* * * “The eurosceptic genie is out of bottle and won’t be put back”, said Nigel Farage on 23 June 2016, while the British were still voting on whether they wanted to remain part of a united Europe. The majority didn’t want to, as we now know. But the eurosceptic genie is not only haunting the people of Britain.
After the Second World War, Europe represented the future for many people; today, a large number are having doubts about Europe’s future. In many countries, parties critical of a united Europe are in the ascendant. Think of the Front National in France, the Freedom Party in the Netherlands, the Five Star Movement in Italy and the Alternative for Germany party.