This is the story of why Britain remained aloof from what was to become the first stage in the development of the European Community. The book argues that abstention was grounded in a set of attitudes that regarded the British state as fundamentally different from its continental counterparts.

Refusing to buy a pig in a poke - saying no to M. Schuman
the Durham miners won't have it - domestic sovereignty and the Schuman Plan
at the intersection of three circles - external sovereignty and the Schuman Plan
not beyond the point of no return - national security and the Schuman Plan
with but not of - Britain and the Schuman negotiations.