Book review: This blessed plot: Britain and Europe fromChurchill to Blair

In order to help put the current discussion about the UK’s relationship with the EU into context, our sister blog EUROPP looks back at the history of the debate, with a contemporary review of This Blessed Plot. First published in 1998, it is seen by many as one of the most important books published on the UK’s relationship with the EU. The book takes a close look at how Britain’s interests evolved both towards, and away from Europe, all against an on-going backdrop of euroscepticism. Claudia Trauffler finds that 15 years after it was first published; Hugo Young’s work remains incredibly relevant to contemporary debates about the UK and the EU, and still offers insights for policy-makers and politicians alike.