ABSTRACT
Together with Denmark and Ireland, the United Kingdom was the first country to join the EC on 1 January 1973, as part of the first enlargement. In trying to reconstruct British debates over EC/EU membership from the early 1960s to the 1990s, this chapter concentrates primarily on the popular press, a genre particularly prominent in twentieth century Britain. It is based on the belief that the changing press coverage of European integration both reflected and shaped more general public perceptions of the EC/EU, although in subtle and often indirect ways. The chapter discusses the British press debate beyond the road to membership and shows how British public attitudes towards European integration did not evolve neatly along any linear or inherently progressive pattern, but that they were instead subject to many diverse pressures and dynamics frequently pulled in different, or even diametrically opposed, directions.
