Unearthing Interests and Explaining Euroscepticism: The Case of Irish Organised Labour

Political analysts frequently draw upon the notion of interests to explicate agency and/or outcomes. Yet, there is no consensus on how we define ‘interests’. That said, interest intermediation and functional representation continue to play a role in advance role in national polities, albeit diminished if union density is used as a proxy to measure influence. Where the support of organised labour is considered critical concerns the legitimacy of the European Union and its flagship projects, the Single Market and Monetary Union. Since the 2000s, the EU has undergone significant changes, notably the eastern enlargement, and economic development has increased the division of labour presenting established trade union confederations with challenges which have affected the internal politics of the organisation(s) and the labour movement more broadly. This development raises the question anew: where do interests lie? And what are the implications for EU market integration, and its legitimacy? The objective of this paper is to engage with the following question: What explains the changing preferences of organised labour towards the EU? To this end, the paper advances a theory of interest-based preferences of organised labour towards the EU (polity) and market integration (economic). Secondly, the paper empirically traces how interests are expressed towards the EU across time by focusing on Ireland and using the various EU treaties as yardsticks. An explanation is provided as to why labour Euroscepticism (eventually) emerged and considers whether it could emerge elsewhere.