Blindly to Market
From Mr Roger Broad Sir: John Laughland paints a pathetic picture of a guileless Britain outmanoeuvred in 1950 by a cunning federalist and supranationalist Jean Monnet (`Monnet can't buy you love', 1 December). But whatever devious plans he and the French government may have had, the Attlee government could have outplayed him. The Dutch expressed doubts about the proposed structure of the Schuman plan, and took part subject to a caveat regarding supranationalism. Britain could have done the same by adopting the well-known French diplomatic ploy of 'en principe, mais. . . In the event, the Coal and Steel Community turned out a lot less federalist and supranational than Monnet had hoped.
By 1955 he had been sidelined and the way was open to the Eden government to take a serious part in the Messina talks. These opened within a much looser framework than the Schuman proposals; indeed, a free-trade area was not excluded. Basically, condescension and arrogance in London, and the belief that Britain remained a great and global power, failed the nation on both occasions. British shortsightedness, not foreign cunning. initiated Britain's troubled relationship with her neighbours ever since.
Roger Broad
London W2
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