ABSTRACT
The course of European policy rarely ran smooth—for the United Kingdom, at least. At the Fontainebleau summit in June 1984, Margaret Thatcher had given her agreement to an increase in the Own Resources ceiling in exchange for a long-term rebate on Britain’s budget contribution. Since Lord Cockfield was a member of the House of Lords, and erroneously thought to be a Thatcher placeman, there was considerable opposition to his appointment among Labour members of the European Parliament. Thatcher commented that there was a basic difference of approach between her and the President. Mrs Thatcher said that she wanted to see recommendations for practical improvement emerge from both committees. Geoffrey Howe had circulated the British draft agreement on Political Cooperation, which Thatcher had given to Kohl and which had subsequently also been given to Mitterrand. Thatcher criticised Howe for being willing to concede the Intergovernmental conference rather than to go down fighting.
