Brexit Britain has forgotten the crucial role the UK played in shaping the Europe of today

As the negotiations continue, it is important to appreciate how much influence the UK has wielded on the continent over the past 75 years, says Shehab Khan

Thursday 31 January 2019 10:20 GMT
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If a country was ever destined to leave the EU, it was Britain
If a country was ever destined to leave the EU, it was Britain

Two themes have dominated the debate during the Brexit negotiations: Leavers have repeatedly claimed that Europe “needs us more than we need them”, with feverish anecdotes of Britons buying German cars and French wines; while Remainers have been keen to stress the lopsided nature of the negotiations, suggesting that the 27 EU member states, with a combined economy almost eight times the size of the UK, have significantly more power and sway in the negotiations.

Which side of those two conflicting views you take is usually an indication of how you voted in the referendum, but both are masked in opinion, much of which is formed by ideology.

Irrespective of which side of the fence you are, what has been forgotten since Britain voted to leave the European Union is that the UK has been vastly important and influential in shaping the direction of European integration, and since the end of the Second World War has helped to mould European geopolitics into what it is today.

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