Quote:
Originally Posted by ChainLegacy
What is it exactly about British culture or viewpoint that is so at odds with other major European nations that have joined up with the EU?
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Historically British foreign policy centered on counteracting the formation any major power on the continent. The mindset had always been on isolationism.
Before the war the empire had shielded the British economy from competition and without it, in the post war years, the UK couldn't compete in the international market. Joining the EU and its market helped the UK economy recover. To gain support, the EU (EEC at the time) was sold to the public as nothing more as a free-trade zone by the politicians.
However in reality it had been established as a ever closer integrating Union, which over time lead to unease in the UK as people felt this wasn't what they had voted for or had been lead to believe. This unease was further fed by a rabid tabloid media culture that has presented Brussels as a corrupt, bureaucratic monstrosity for the last 40 years.
From the funny perspective of "Yes, Minister":
http://www.videohippy.com/video/1132...Foreign-Policy