Bruges as a lodestone of British opposition to the European Union

Article forms part of a series of articles in this issue of Collegium: 'Does Euroscepticism have a passport?' Margaret Thatcher's Bruges speech of 1988 can be considered as a key building block in the development of British opposition to the European Union. As the first clear break by a European leader from the 'europhoria' of the late 1980s, it was to prove a vital catalyst in the mobilisation and organisation of previously disparate elements, most obviously in the form of the Bruges Group. In the longer term, the speech has continued to have a high level of relevance for many anti-EU groups. Moreover, it will also be argued that the ideas that lie behind the speech have become increasingly accepted as part of the pattern of European integration over the past 15 years.

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http://www.coleurope.be/content/publications/pdf/Collegium29.pdf http://www.coleurope.be/content/publications/pdf/Collegium29.pdf

http://www.brugesgroup.com http://www.brugesgroup.com

http://www.brugesgroup.com/mediacentre/index.live?article=92 http://www.brugesgroup.com/mediacentre/index.live?article=92

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