Signing of the Maastricht treaty: John Major's victory and failure for the UK?

In the present article the reasons for the different visions of the significance of the Maastricht treaty for Great Britain put forward by J. Major, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and British citizens are highlighted. The Treaty on the European Union was concluded on February 7, 1992 - during the Tory premiership. The point is that at the time of signing the agreement and today the politician’s position and the citizens’ one differ radically; J. Major assesses the document positively, while most residents of the United Kingdom have a negative attitude to it. The purpose of the research was to determine the causes of such a polarization of opinion. The main sources to be applied are speeches, comments, articles by J. Major published on his official website “Sir John Major KG CH Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1990-1997” and data from the Eurobarometer, i.e. public opinion polls regularly conducted on behalf of the European Commission. Furthermore, the data of the world research agency Pew Research Center as well as of the global public opinion and data company YouGov have been used. The article focuses on the issue of national identity, since it matters a lot to British citizens and plays an important role in the formation of the British attitude towards continental Europe. Fear of loss of national self-identification has determined the negative nature of the majority of British judgments about the significance of the Maastricht Treaty for their country. John Major sought to conduct foreign policy taking into account citizens’ interests. However, at the same time, the Tory was determined to closely collaborate with “United Europe” as it was necessary to strengthen the country’s position in the world due to the dominance of the USA and countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also presented interpretation of the essence of the Maastricht Treaty. It was based on the economic and political unification of European countries into one supranational structure. Currency integration was one of the main tasks of the association. The single currency for all EU countries is one of the foundations of the EU, which is also an element of pan-European identity. Great Britain refused to introduce the euro. The UK had strong economic independence, and its citizens had a heightened sense of national identity, which the state couldn’t sacrifice for the unification. In addition, the research covers the migration aspect of the incorporation of Great Britain into the European Union, since, according to the majority of the British public, an increasing number of migrants is a consequence of the participation of the United Kingdom in the European Union as well as it has a negative impact on the situation inside the country. Ultimately, on the basis of the data analysis, including the politician’s speeches, statistics and opinion polls, it has been concluded that, in Major’s opinion, the Maastricht Treaty was an opportunity for the UK to be a global player, whereas the British perceive the agreement as the main cause of a growing number of migrants as well as a threat to national identity.

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