Lessons unlearned: the persistence of fear-based discourse in the 2016–2023 communication of new Europeanist actors in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The study investigates the persistence of fear messaging in the political campaigning of the new wave of Europeanism in the United Kingdom. Its overarching aim is to analyse and interpret patterns of the discursive exploitation of fear by the British new Europeanist movement both in terms of their macro-discoursal and micro-linguistic content and strategies. In order to do so, the inquiry combines a frame analysis with critical discourse analysis and works with a large dataset of public-facing communications by two key Europeanist actors in the UK, the European Movement UK and Best for Britain, in the 2016–2023 period. The findings underscore the ‘lessons unlearned’ in this context, showing how new Europeanist actors continue to employ scare tactics reminiscent of the pre-referendum Project Fear, despite the clear rejection of such messaging by the majority of British voters in the 2016 referendum.

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