Reluctant European : Britain and the European Union from 1945 to Brexit

353 Pages·2020·2.256 MB·English

by  Stephen Wall

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Reluctant European
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Reluctant European
Britain and the European Union from
1945 to Brexit
STEPHEN WALL
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Acknowledgements
The sources for this book have been many: my own memories of people and
events; the views and recollection of those with, or for whom, I worked and,
especially,thegovernmentdocumentsoftheday,nowhousedinTheNational
Archives. I hope the book does justice to the politicians and officials who
strove to advance the national interest and to make a success of Britain’s
membership of the European Community/Union, and of the EEC/EU as a
whole.
I owe special thanks to Gill Bennett, formerly the Chief Historian at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office and herself an accomplished published
historian.Idrewonherworkbut,aboveall,onherkindness,generosity,and
expertise.Sheread,commentedon,andcopy-editedthebook,andhersupport
andadvicewereinvaluable.
I had strong backing for this book project from Dominic Byatt,
Commissioning Editor for Politics and International Relations at Oxford
UniversityPress,andsupportfromhimandhiscolleaguesthroughout.
Myhusband,Ted(DrEdwardSumner),readandcommentedonthebook.
He drew on his extensive experience as a journal editor to make suggestions
and corrections. He gave me morale-boosting support and encouragement,
withcharacteristicloveandgenerosity.
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Contents
ListofPrincipalPeople xi
ListofAbbreviations xxix
Introduction 1
1. A Thousand Years of History 7
2. The Price of Victory: The Rocky Road to Europe, 1945–1961 29
3. Second Thoughts, 1961–1969 58
4. Good Result or Bad Deal? The Price of Entry, 1970–1973 83
5. Accession, Renegotiation, Referendum, 1973–1975 109
6. The Years of the Tiger, 1975–1984 138
7. No, No, No: Thatcher Defiant, 1984–1990 171
8. One Foot In and One Foot Out, 1990–1997 201
9. New Dawn or More of the Same? Blair and Europe,
1997–2007 227
10. Brown and Cameron: Opening the Door Marked ‘Exit’,
2007–2016 258
11. Brave New World? 289
Index 301