ABSTRACT

Euroscepticism, as ideology, is an integral part of wider ideological systems of meanings that can be analysed as evolving totalities with specifiable ranges of politically constitutive functions and communicative forms. This chapter is inevitably a summary outline rather than a detailed theorisation substantiated by empirical evidence. The discussed argument starts from a brief consideration of some relevant aspects of the literature. The chapter then offers some consideration of structures, functions and communicational aspects of ideology in general, leading in turn to reflection on the relative suitability of qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis of ideologically coloured material. Finally, it points to some of the implications of this approach for the analysis of Euroscepticism (and EU-positive positions), pointing to the limits of the notion of political families, when applied to parties or to the pressure groups, media organisations and wider publics with which parties interact.