TY - JOUR AU - Garcia Blanco, Iñaki AU - Wahl-Jorgensen, Karin JF - Javnost-The Public TI - Remote, Elitist, or Non-existent?: The European Public Sphere in the Debates of British Political Elites VL - 20 IS - 3 PY - 2013/// SN - 1854-8377 PB - EURICOM UR - http://javnost-thepublic.org/article/2013/3/3/ N2 - This paper looks at how British political elites discuss the European public sphere and citizens’ participation within it. Drawing on 41 in-depth interviews with political elites – including politicians at national and European levels, journalists, political activists, and think-tank professionals – the paper explores interviewees’ understandings of the European public sphere, and their perceptions about its vitality. Our research reveals a great deal of scepticism about the idea of a European public sphere, in part rooted in conventional British Euro-sceptic approaches, and in part fostered by a perception of the remoteness and democratic deficit of the European Union. U1 - Print ISSN: 1318-3222 ER -