"The evolution of the position of the TUC on Europe since 1945 has been a winding course which has led it from post-war internationalism in principle to European proselytism at the end of the Thatcher years. It seems that the TUC's commitment to Europe is inversely related to its domestic influence. The European dimension is neglected, even rejected, when the trade union movement is strong in British society, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. On the contrary, Europe becomes a powerful resource when the movement is faced with a crisis; it thus turns to Europe as a means to prevent a decline of its influence under the neo-conservative governments of the 1980s and 1990s."

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