Where has all the trouble gone? British intra-party parliamentary divisions during the Lisbon ratification

The divisions over European integration used to be part of the landscape of British politics. Yet during the Lisbon ratification of 2007 and 2008 the main parliamentary characteristic was unity. All three main political parties had at least one issue that divided their party's MPs and peers, but for the most part such rebellion was sporadic and relatively low-level. Lisbon was the latest in more than a decade's worth of evidence that intra-party division has now been largely replaced by inter-party division, as largely united political parties face each other. The continued framing of the European issue as one of intra-party division prevents us understanding its role in British party politics. British Politics (2010) 5, 133-148. doi:10.1057/bp.2010.1