This book is an historical examination of the impact short-term political expediency played in the positions adopted by members of Britain's political elites in the debates over Europe. It advances the argument that many MPs failed to consider the long-term implications of membership.

Robert Lister Nicholls is a former lecturer in British Politics at the University of Huddersfield

Introduction
1 Political elites
2 Sovereignty
3 The first application
4 The second application
5 Taken in by Heath
6 The 1975 Referendum on EEC membership
7 Post referendum
8 Positions taken on Europe, 1959-1984
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Labour Parliamentary Private Secretaries sacked by Wilson - May 1967
Appendix 2: The 33 Labour rebels - May 1967
Appendix 3: The full terms
Appendix 4: The 69 Labour rebels - October 1971
Appendix 5: House of Commons three-day debate - April 1975
Appendix 6: Conservative and Labour trajectories
Bibliography
Index