Here we set the scene for the book, questioning the reasons for the phenomenal success of eurosceptic parties at the European Parliament (EP) elections of 2014 and considering the likely consequences. Above all, did these elections represent a new phenomenon, no longer “second order” in nature? We defi ne this term and introduce a new term—“second rate”—to describe an aspect of EP elections that distinguishes them from other second-order elections with more immediately evident policy consequences.
The chapter goes on to discuss whether the second-order character of these elections might actually help to account for their more
remarkable features. It also defi nes and introduces additional terms that are used in the book and provides an overview of the chapters that follow.