ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses in particular at the way in which relations with Europe have reflected Conservative views on Britain's national interest. While these relations scarcely define the range of British foreign policy or conservative attitudes, they provide a way to examine key issues in both and are very important in themselves. This approach also provides a way to consider the changing nature of the Conservative frame of historical reference and to discuss what this means for a Conservative 'deep history'. Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher acquired iconic resonance for most Conservatives in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Abstracted from the ambiguities and controversies of their policies and politics, they were inscribed into a pantheon of national greatness and resolve. A robust patriotism and a willingness to fight proved a major part of this impression, image and legacy.
