The UK’s 50-Year EU Debate

The debate over UK membership of the EU is not new. As Britain approaches its second referendum on the issue on the 23 June 2016, here is a look back at how arguments from both sides have developed over the past 50 years.

As a centre for informed debate, Chatham House has been a forum for discussing Britain's evolving relationship with the EU since the debates about joining the Common Market first began in the 1960s to the establishment of the euro through to today. This selection from the Chatham House archive presents discussion and writing from some of the most interesting speakers of each era and provides an illuminating look at the genesis of today's debates.

+ The Case Against Joining the Common Market (1971)
+ The Case for British Membership of the European Community (1980)
+ The Uncommon Market and the Alternatives (1980)
+ Can Britain Learn to Play the European Game? (1984)
+ Britain’s European Choices (1990)
+ The Future for Europe (1995)
+ Britain and the European Union: Building the Enterprise Centre of Europe (1996)
+ Prospects for the Outs: Britain in Europe (1998)
+ The Challenge of Migration: The EU Dimension (2000)

• Primary Source

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

ESO: Information Guide: European Union: Prime Ministers’ Speeches and Party Manifestos since 1970 http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-union-prime-ministers-speeches-and-partymanifestos-since-1970/

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