ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to evaluate how far the cause of European integration
had faded in the early twenty-first century, and to consider some explana-
tions of this. The explanations considered here are the ones that were
usually given – they were held to be true, and form a part of public opinion,
rather than being actually true. The failure of a cause may be attributable to
well founded criticisms, or it may be attributable to the context that makes
them persuasive. In the past, the pressure towards integration was created
by a supportive elite, most frequently the governments of France and Germany, reflecting the waxings and wanings discussed in Chapter 1. The
public, even in the more positive countries, tended to be moderately sup-
portive, rather than enthusiastic, about their initiatives. This is shown in
Table 2.1. There was a cause, and the publics treated it benignly in what was
called a ‘permissive consensus’.
