"This text considers the Labour Party's reversal on its European policy (1983-99), from being hostile towards Europe to becoming pro-European. It examines and analyses how this critical policy change was conceived and enacted. Furthermore, it demonstrates how central to the emergence of New Labour the pro-European position was in conveying a sense of trust and responsibility to the electorate. This development is charted through a difficult era in which the Party has had three leaders, has spent three Parliaments as the chief Opposition party, and five years in government. It also considers how the pace of change and emphasis on Europe as a political priority and dynamic for change has varied according to both the prevailing political environment of the time and the contrasting styles of leadership offered by Neil Kinnock, John Smith and Tony Blair."--BOOK JACKET.

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