Food for Thought

Week 15: Tuesday, May 3

Before dropping these questions on you, I thought I'd give you a little historical context to understand all the pieces we are reading.

Several of these readings revolve around Britain's relationship to European integration. Starting in 1950, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg formed the European Coal and Steel Community. Although this was an economic organization, the founders (like Monnet) hoped economic ties would further political connections between the member states. They had an opportunity to implement this vision with the Treaty of Rome (1957) which led to the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC). The treaty aimed to end all trade restrictions within the EEC, formulate a common tariff for goods coming from outside the organization, and coordinate economic, monetary, labor, agricultural, and social policies, while creating an administration, government, and bureaucracy that could oversee these policies. Britain sought to join the EEC in 1961 and 1967, but on both occasions, France, under President Charles de Gaulle, vetoed Britain's application. Britain did not succeed in joining until 1973.

Many Britons, however, had reservations about joining the EEC. Hugh Gaitskell (1906-1963), who led the Labour Party from 1955 to 1963, articulated these reservations quite well. In a speech delivered at the Labour Party Conference of 1962 (which I have included in the reading), he launched a blistering attack against Britain's application to join the EEC. Unfortunately, he died prematurely after a short illness the next year. Many Britons considered him the "the best Prime Minister we never had."

Throughout this speech, Gaitskell makes frequent references to the Commonwealth. This was a loose organization of states that were former British colonies (e.g. Australia).

The EEC became the European Union (EU) as a result of the Maastricht Treaty (1992). This treaty led to still closer political and economic union, making a common currency an objective. Only seven years later, 11 members of the EU agreed to form a common European bank and currency (the Euro). At the beginning of 2002, Euro notes entered circulation. Britain, however, hung back from the common currency, and debate still rages there today over the wisdom of that course.

Another big issue that has waxed and waned since the 1950s in Britain is immigration. Starting in the late 1940s, black immigrants from Britain's Caribbean possessions began arriving in British ports. In more recent years, this immigration was supplemented by a variety of peoples from throughout the Commonwealth, particularly those from the Indian subcontinent. Although the Afro-Caribbeans who have been in Britain longer than most other non-whites are considered the most thoroughly integrated, they still suffer from disproportionately high levels of unemployment and poverty. At various times, tensions between whites and non-whites have culminated in race riots, including the famous Notting Hill (1958) and Brixton (1981) riots. The government has attempted to cut down on disorder by a variety of measures. Successive Immigration Acts (1962, 1972) have attempted to cut down on immigration. At the same time, the government has launched a number of investigations about the source of interracial conflict in an attempt to promote a harmonious multicultural society.

Enoch Powell (1912-1998) was a maverick Conservative MP who had held a Cabinet position and was widely renowned for his sharp mind and oratorical skills. He was vehemently opposed to both Britain's entry in the EEC and a strong proponent of limits to immigration. In 1968, he delivered the infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech while the Race Relations Bill was being debated in Parliament. This speech won him a great deal of public support from average Britons but effectively ended his political career.

Robin Cook (1946- ) served as Foreign Secretary in Tony Blair's Labour government from 1997 to 2001. Blair leaned toward the EU, sought to promote a multicultural Britain, and devolve more authority to local assemblies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In what has become known as the "Chicken Tikka Masala" (2001) Cook sought to promote Blair's vision. In 2001, plagued in part by personal scandal (his wife divorced him after he had one too many affairs), Cook left the Foreign Office to become leader of the Labour Party in the House of Commons. In 2003, he resigned from the Cabinet because he opposed Blair's support for the American invasion of Iraq.

Gaitskell's Speech to the Labour Party Conference (1962)

1) Did Gaitskell think there were alternatives to the Common Market? In other words, did Britain have an alternative to becoming a part of Europe?

2) Generally, what were the main reasons Gaitskell opposed the Common Market?

Powell's "Rivers of Blood" Speech (1968)

3) Why was Powell hostile to the admission of more immigrants from the Commonwealth? What appeared to be Powell's definition of a Briton?

David Held, "The Decline of the Nation State"(1990)

4) What were the four forces or institutions Held thought were undermining the nation state?

Robin Cook, "The Chicken Tikka Masala Speech" (2001)

5) Having read the whole piece, what do you believe Cook seems to think it means to be British?

Other Questions

1) Why do many British politicians seem to fear the EEC or the EU threaten British identity? How could these supranational organizations undermine what it means to be British? What does that say about British nationalism?

2) What do Gaitskell, Powell, and Cook each seem to think about the foundations of British identity? What makes the British British?