Separate Ways

Shore, Peter

doi:10.1057/9780230510760_12

Cited by 3 publications

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“…And proud too of the way in which for centuries Britain was a home for people from the rest of Europe who sought sanctuary from tyranny’ (Thatcher 1988a). On the other hand, this theme can be worked into a nationalist and/or jingoistic Eurosceptic reading of the national story, wherein the libertarian British Us is juxtaposed against a malign Them across the Channel, as in former Labour parliamentarian and prominent Eurosceptic Peter Shore's account of the ‘separate history’ that marks Britain apart from Europe (Shore 2002, 228). Every advance in integration (whether new policy area or formal treaty) can, in the Eurosceptic reading, be interpreted as an infringement of British liberties, understood to incorporate everything from legal and parliamentary sovereignty to the rights of individuals to live their daily lives free from the pernicious interference of Brussels ‘bureaucrats’ (Minogue 2008).…”

Section: Locating the Eurosceptic Traditionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and the Eurosceptic Tradition in Britain

Daddow¹

2012

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations

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This article advances the interpretivist perspective on British foreign policy by studying Tony Blair's difficult encounter with the Eurosceptic tradition in Britain, popularized by Margaret Thatcher from the late 1980s. Using discourse data taken from key foreign policy speeches by the two leaders across their periods in office, the article investigates the problems Blair and his New Labour team faced when trying to justify and legitimize Britain's more constructive approach to the European Union from 1997. The article argues that Blair failed to modernize public attitudes and build support behind a Europeanist consensus in Britain because, contrary to the reputations they have built up over the years, the two leaders’ webs of belief about the British in Europe were remarkably similar. Blair reworked rather than undermined core themes within the British Eurosceptic tradition.

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Section: Locating the Eurosceptic Traditionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and the Eurosceptic Tradition in Britain

Daddow¹

2012

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations

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“…Britain in Europe published Why You Should Vote Yes and the National Referendum Campaign issued Why You Should Vote No, whilst the Labour government distributed New Deal for Europe, its pamphlet in favour of membership, to every household in Britain. Shore 16 highlighted two assurances in the government's document that turned out to be untrue. The ®rst was the statement that:…”

Section: The Third Pro-european Propaganda Campaign (1974±1975)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinning Europe: Pro‐European Union Propaganda Campaigns in Britain, 1962–1975

Mullen

Burkitt

2005

Political Quarterly

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The relationship between Britain and the European Union (EU) 1 has been, and remains, controversial. In part, this is the result of concerted eorts by both anti-and pro-EU forces to in¯uence the European policies of key political actors and to shape public opinion. This article focuses on the eorts of pro-EU forces during the 1960s and 1970s, a critical period in British±EU relations. 2 Although anti-EU forces were active during this period, it was their opponents who dominated the`great debate', for two reasons. First, for most of the period under study, pro-EU forces sought to change the status quo, promoting entry to the EU amongst a largely sceptical British public. Consequently, propaganda was essential. Second, pro-EU forces possessed more money, obtained the backing of most of the business sector and the media, and enjoyed access to the considerable power resources of the British state. Consequently, they were able to overwhelm the propaganda produced by their opponents. Given the considerable advantages enjoyed by pro-EU forces, and the lack of ®nancial, business and media support for anti-EU forces, the eorts of the latter are ignored for the purposes of this article.The impact of pro-EU propaganda campaigns in Britain has been neglected within EU studies and in the recent work on the Europeanisation of political parties, trade unions and the British state. Bringing together the few sources of information that exist, this article documents the three government-organised pro-EU propaganda campaigns of the 1960s and 1970s. It speci®cally discusses the campaigns in 1962±63 to bolster public support following Britain's ®rst application to join the EU, in 1970±71 to prepare the public for accession, and in 1974±75 to ensure continued membership in the 1975 referendum.The article begins by de®ning what is meant by propaganda, details the aforementioned campaigns within the context of the shifting European policy of the British state, and advances empirical evidence, in the form of polling data, which suggests that these campaigns were eective in changing public opinion. It then sets out three reasons why pro-EU forces resorted to propaganda rather than educating the British public about EU membership, before contrasting the 1962±75 period with the contemporary situation. It is likely that the next ®ve years will witness two further government-organised pro-EU propaganda campaigns, in an attempt to ensurè Yes' votes in any future referendums on the European constitution and the euro.

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“…4 Lord Shore, Wilson's Parliamentary Secretary 1964-66 adds that he believed Wilson wanted to demonstrate once and for all the impossibility of membership. 5 This article will argue that despite the fact that the government was moving towards a policy towards European membership prior to October 1966, the July sterling crisis was still decisive in forcing Wilson's hand towards the EEC. 6…”

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confidence: 99%

A Question of Leadership: July 1966 and Harold Wilson's European Decision

Parr

2005

Contemporary British History

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Separate Ways

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and the Eurosceptic Tradition in Britain

Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and the Eurosceptic Tradition in Britain

Spinning Europe: Pro‐European Union Propaganda Campaigns in Britain, 1962–1975

A Question of Leadership: July 1966 and Harold Wilson's European Decision

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