Britain and the European Union

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Britain and the European Union

“We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but

not of it. We are linked, but not combined. We are interested and

associated, but not absorbed.”1 Winston Churchill’s famous quote aptly

describes Britain’s intentions towards European integration. In this

essay I shall attempt to show that Britain’s relationship towards

European integration has been one of a reluctant union, supporting free

trade and mutually beneficial cooperation, while attempting to distance

itself from economic and cultural ‘unity’ with Europe, and I will finish

by describing the effects on Britain’s sovereignty since joining the

European Union .

The term integration can be understood, in context of the European

Union, as a situation of unification between individually sovereign

nations into a collective body, sufficient to make that body a workable

whole.

A fully integrated European Union could be seen to have two possible

outcomes. Either a)A Federalist or ‘stewed’ union, where all member

states give up their individual sovereignty and form a superstate that

would be an economic world power, or b)A Confederalist or ‘salad bar’

union, where each member state has its own place in a continental

alliance, maintaining national sovereignty and individually contributing,

through trade and cooperation, to form a greater whole.2

Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s Britain’s aspiration for a Europe

unified through trade and cooperation arose from a desire to maintain

complete control and sovereignty over its own affairs. The history of

the British Empire and its position as leader of the Commonwealth in

addition to its history of beneficial association with the United States3,

left many i...

... middle of paper ...

...id it. The

extent to which Britain can defend its sovereignty, has been shown to be

limited, it can negotiate to arrange beneficial agreements with other

members and really delay the effects of union.

Bibliography:

1)Almdal, Preben. Aspects of European Integration

Denmark, Odense University Press, 1986.

2)Edwards, Geoffrey. ‘Britain and Europe’ in Jonathan Story (ed) The New

Europe:Politics, Government and Economy since 1945.

Oxford, Blackwell Publishers, 1993.

3)Stuart,N. New Britain Handbook on Europe, New Britain, 1996

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/stuart.n2/nbrit/nbhandeu1.html

4)Wise, Mark. & Gibb, Richard. Single Market to Social Europe:The European

Community in the 1990’s . Essex, Longman Scientific and Technical, Longman

GroupUK Ltd.

5) The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations is licensed from Columbia University Press.

Copyright © 1993

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