Britain on the Edge of Europe

Britain's role in Europe is a contentious and topical issue, the debate having many dimensions - the political, economic and legal - and revolving around the role the country can play on the international stage. Britain on the Edge of Europe contributes to this debate. Concentrating on Britain's peripheral geoegraphical position, the author discusses the country's place in Europe (past, present and future) and challenges current opinion that trade and prosperity are dependent on participation in the European Union. There has been a dramatic re-orientation of Britain's trade towards Europe in the post-war period and the book explores the impact, economically and politically, of this increase, debating its importance for future trade relations. Using both original research and a fundamental re-evaluation of established opinion, Britain on the Edge of Europe provides a contemporary and challenging analysis of the country's future prosperity on the geographical periphery of the European Union.