The ‘Grammar’ of Migration

This paper aims to uncover the manner in which narratives (or frames) of migration and asylum were constructed by the UK executive. These narratives will serve to broaden one’s understanding as to why the UK government decided not to opt into two EU Council Directives: The Family Reunification Directive and the Long Term Residents Directive. It is argued that in order to understand the final outcome of a decision, one must take into account the historical discourse which has been contested and molded by mutually constituting actors. The theoretical approaches of constructivism and Europeanisation will inform the thinking of this research. This paper aims to highlight the relevance of constructivism in analysis of domestic and EU politics, and seeks to advance the view of Europeanisation as a change in logic of action within actors.