ABSTRACT
The European Union (EU) has often been accused of leading with its chin as far as relations with the British press are concerned. The analysis of the data which forms the basis for many of our conclusions relating to the coverage or representation of Europe in the British press reveals differences in quality ranging from the outrageously shallow and xenophobic through to the admirably objective, analytical and profound. The reliance on NATO during the Cold War was partly the result of the western Europeans’ own inability to create an effective European defence organisation, as was demonstrated by the failure of the European Defence Community in 1954. Doubters within Britain, in particular, would point to the failure of the European Defence Community in 1954 and argue that a repetition of that kind of fiasco could again lead to both serious acrimony and disillusionment with the EU among the governments and electorates of its member states.
