"Labour Party Attitudes and Policy Towards Europe: Socialism, Nationalism, and British Political Culture"

[From the Introduction]. In order to examine the interplay of the national and the doctrinal in the current orientation of the party, we need to look at how the myths underpinning Labour doctrine inform its language, and how language, in turn, facilitates further doctrinal change. In the case of the Labour Party, as we shall see, one of the most consequential results of such imperceptible interactions is the anti-Europeans' failure to hold on to claims of exclusive doctrinal integrity concerning Europe. But we shall also note the continuing ambivalence in party attitudes, as reflected in its language. In order to examine these subtle movements in ideas, we shall examine the treatment of the European question in a recent party document. We will also examine the extent to which anti-Europeanism still informs the wider political culture