Michael White: Britain, Proud Home of Euroscepticism
THE GUARDIAN: Distrust of Europe seems inherently British, born of geographic distance and political loyalties

The British do not have a monopoly on Euroscepticism. But suspicion towards the European project has existed for longer within the British mainstream than anywhere else. It was evident in the lofty mistrust displayed by both Labour and Tory governments towards the EU's first faltering steps. At the signature of the treaty of Rome in 1957, Britain sent Russell Bretherton, a middling trade official, not even a minister. To observe, not join.

When the then prime minister, Harold Macmillan, acknowledged the strategic error and applied to join in 1961, his wartime ally, Charles de Gaulle, feared Britain would be an Anglo-Saxon Trojan horse and kept it out until 1973. In those early days it was Labour's leader, Hugh Gaitskell, who raised the Eurosceptic standard against losing "1,000 years of history" as an independent state. His enemies on the Labour left, who saw Europe as a capitalist ramp, cheered him on. Fellow moderates were appalled.

The Tories had their sceptics too – including pro-Commonwealth nostalgics – preaching the angry language of betrayal. They were marginalised, their rebellious votes neutralised by Europhile Labour and Liberal (later Lib Dem) MPs, as well as most of Fleet Street where – as at Westminster – most top jobs were held by "never again" veterans of the second world war.

With the exceptions of the pro-empire Daily Express and the communist Daily Worker, Fleet Street voted yes in the 1975 referendum on UK membership. Seven Labour cabinet members – led by Michael Foot – were allowed to campaign for a no. Margaret Thatcher campaigned for a yes with Harold Wilson, Ted Heath, David Steel and Roy Jenkins.

Only in the late 80s, as vivid wartime memories faded, did the centre of gravity shift in both main parties. Claiming to have been deceived, in 1988 Thatcher denounced "federalism" in Bruges, just as Neil Kinnock – encouraged by the visionary French European Commission president, Jacques Delors – led Labour to embrace a social Europe. It would protect workers against the free market capitalism of Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. As Labour swung towards Europe, most of Fleet Street swung the other way. So it has remained. » | Michael White | Thursday, January 26, 2012