A Momentous Plan

Abstract

As the government’s predicament worsened, the language used to express its aims is especially worthy of note. The particular idiom used to describe Britain’s relationship with the EEC - or British objectives with regard to that institution - was, for the most part, indicative of the attitude and objective of the speaker or writer concerned. It will be noted though that, as the perspective and attitude of the PM and his closest advisers altered through 1960, their language was carefully chosen so as not to cause alarm or controversy among their colleagues. It is helpful to draw attention at this stage to the particular language used by officials and politicians to express their fears and aspirations, since it was in the spring of 1960 that the fundamental stipulations of Britain’s European policy were at last to be challenged.