The Tories and Europe

An examination of one of the most contentious issues in British politics over the last 30 years of the 20th century. It traces the way in which the issue of Europe has led to the electoral disintegration of a party which had previously dominated British politics for a century. Europe has exposed the principal fault-line within contemporary Tory politics like no other comparable issue and has been the major cause of mounting discord and dissent within the party. The text discusses the way in which growing integration in Europe has challenged many aspects and assumptions in British politics, and in particular, Tory politics. It also examines the ways in which notions of sovereignty, integration and federalism have now become an implicit determinant of any future Tory agenda.