Some of the main points of British criticism against the EU are that Europe for one is a place for holidaying, not for politics. Most British politicians have been unfamiliar with, and have felt distaste for continental politics. The Labour party for example wanted to get Britain taken out of the EU. Britain has also been an Empire for a long time, and then it’s hard to join an organization demanding a handover of national sovereignty. The EU standards and regulations are something that triggers irritation in Britain when they for example have to change the way they make bicycle brakes to meet EU standards, when they think their way of making bicycle brakes is perfectly fine. One issue which has caused big discussions is the Agricultural policy and the British contributions to the community budget.
Britain expected to gain new alliances, new markets and to strengthen their European identity by joining the EU. But she had little satisfaction from the experience, one reason for this could be that EU membership seemed to have brought Britain neither the expected losses nor the expected gains. Even though Britain isn’t too pleased being a member of the EU she cant leave the community because an increasing amount of her trade is done with the EU. When the EU was formed it was 30% as compared to the 45% today. It would also be unthinkable for Britain to be shut out of talks on world issues with such countries as France and Germany, something she probably would be if she quit being a member of the EU.
Forside
