Britain and Europe: The Dog that Didn’t Bark

2004 was a busy and arguably historic year for the EU. It saw the enlargement of its membership to 25, the long-awaited agreement on the new EU constitution, and EP elections. Tony Blair persisted in his strategy of bridge-building between the US and EU, partly constraining his European policy, but partly assisting in securing an agreement on the EU constitution that he could sell to the British public. The government U-turn on a referendum sparked off further intra- and inter-party disputes. The emergence of UKIP had a profound, albeit short-lived impact on domestic politics and the European Parliament election results. The government sought to keep a lid on the euro debate, as the Conservative Party moved further to the right on Europe under the new leadership of Michael Howard.