Britain joined the EU in 1973, over twenty years after the first of the European Communities was formed. Within a year, Britain had established a reputation for being at odds with major Community initiatives and for taking an independent point of view. An Awkward Partner surveys the policies that earned Britain this reputation, recording the role successive British governments have played in the European Community. In this third edition Stephen George brings his analysis up to date, taking the story of the Major Government through to its end in the 1997 general election.