Au Revoir, Europe?

It was the speech we had all been waiting for. This morning was a make or break moment for David Cameron; as long as integration within the EU continued its march forward, the European question within the Conservative Party was never going to go away. Cameron could address it himself or leave it to the next leader, but at a time when discontent with Cameron amongst his own party is raging, forthright action on Europe was the best that he could give, and with his pledge this morning to hold an in/out referendum in the first half of the next Parliament, if the Conservatives are elected, he did just that.
This talk is all very well and good for Mr Cameron, but the relentless focus on the impact on UK politics if we were to leave the EU risks skating over some of the, ultimately, much more important questions.
What would happen if we really were to leave the EU? I’m not talking about the guaranteed twitter frenzy or the inevitable fierce and (I’m sure) farcical exchanges in the Commons here; I’m talking about what would happen after the dust on Britain leaving the EU had settled. The real nitty gritty, which lightbulbs can I use?, everyday consequences of no longer being a part of the EU. Luckily, one book addresses just that. David Charter’s Au Revoir, Europe: What If Britain Left The EU? presents the unvarnished truth of what it would really mean for Britain to say goodbye.
Forty years ago, Britain joined the club of European nations. The idea was to guarantee peace and prosperity on the continent through ‘ever closer union’ following centuries of terrible wars. But after four decades of membership, costing the UK more than £200 billion, public disenchantment with the European Union has never been so great.
In Au Revoir, Europe David Charter, Europe Correspondent for The Times, looks at what went wrong – and what happens next. It charts Britain’s increasing detachment from the European project amid a barrage of bureaucracy, mindboggling expenditure and concern at sharing sovereignty for goals that were never truly embraced. From trade to transport, fishing to finance, investment to immigration, the decision that Britain takes on its future relationship with Brussels will touch many parts of everyday life. This book is a unique contribution to the European debate and essential reading for all.