Copeland Paul, Maccaferri Marzia
Queen Mary University of London, UK.
Politics (Oxf). 2023 Feb;43(1):70-88. doi: 10.1177/02633957221122322.
This article analyses the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the evolving United Kingdom (UK) Eurosceptic discourse in the context of the UK's departure from the European Union (EU). It applies a mixed-method approach of content analysis and critical discourse analysis of newspaper reporting of the EU's handling of the pandemic vis-à-vis the UK during the first lockdown and the rollout of the vaccination programme. During the first lockdown, UK newspapers opted for muted politicisation and polarisation - they downplayed the success of strategies within the EU Member States, but attacked the EU. While during the vaccination rollout they shifted to vocal politicisation and vaccine nationalism which praised the UK, heavily criticised the EU and claimed the EU's Member States suffered as a result of EU incompetence. Against this backdrop the COVID-19 pandemic has put into motion a self-reinforcing discursive shift in which the UK's ability to go it alone not only justifies Brexit, but serves to prove that it will be a success.
本文分析了在英国脱欧背景下，新冠疫情与英国不断演变的疑欧主义话语之间的关系。它采用了一种混合方法，对报纸报道欧盟在首次封锁期间及疫苗接种计划推出过程中对英国处理疫情情况进行内容分析和批判性话语分析。在首次封锁期间，英国报纸选择了低调的政治化和两极分化——它们淡化了欧盟成员国策略的成功，但抨击了欧盟。而在疫苗接种推广期间，它们转向了高调的政治化和疫苗民族主义，赞扬英国，严厉批评欧盟，并声称由于欧盟的无能，其成员国遭受了损失。在此背景下，新冠疫情引发了一种自我强化的话语转变，即英国独自应对的能力不仅为脱欧提供了正当理由，而且证明脱欧将会成功。
