The British House of Commons, British law courts, and British civil servants are still here,
but they have all become agents of the European Union implementing European law.
This is no accident. By creating common standards that are implemented through national
institutions, Europe can take over countries without necessarily becoming a target for
hostility…
Europe's invisibility allows it to spread its influence without provocation.
- Pro-euro author Mark Leonard

The quotation above might sound like something out of a conspiracy theory.
But Mark Leonard – a passionate advocate of deeper integration - makes an astute
observation.

Here are the views of Tony Blair, ‘The Man Who Would Be King’, about the EU;

1. ‘Above all, the European Economic Community takes away Britain’s freedom to follow the
sort of economics we need’.
Tony Blair, writing his personal manifesto when standing for Parliament in 1982.

2. We’ll negotiate a withdrawal from the EEC which has drained our natural resources and
destroyed jobs’. Pledging his opposition to the EEC when standing for Parliament in
Sedgefield in 1983.

3. On the day we remember the legend that St George slayed the dragon to protect England,
some would argue that there is another dragon to be slayed: in Europe’.
In an interview with ‘The Sun’ newspaper on St George’s Day in 1997.

4. I am a passionate pro-European. I always have been’.
Speaking to the European Parliament in 2005.