Reporter: Euroscepticism in the UK

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• published: 30 Oct 2012
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Britain, famous for its tea, royalty and distaste of all things EU. We went to London to see why it has the reputation of being very Eurosceptic and why Britain is so adverse to its continental cousins. England is half-hearted about it. They want the benefits of Europe but they don't want to suffer its bad points. We have to care about it. We're all... The majority of people in this country are totally and completely anti-Europe. I just get on with my life, do my little bit. And let Europe get on with its thing? -Eat my chicken. That's what I do. In a nation of 62 million, there are sure to be varying views on Europe and how it's reported. To delve into the matter, we spoke to a former press officer, a professor, and journalists representing pro-Europe and Eurosceptic camps, who all have a different definition of UK Euroscepticism. Scepticism is the essence of British journalism. Since the 1980s we've been lumbered with this term, which covers a whole range of phenomena, starting from outright Europhobia, hostility to European integration, to Euroboredom. At the far end, there are the Europhobes. They're almost xenophobes. They don't like anything not British. But as you come back to the more moderate area, you come into Euroscepticism. Some people would call themselves Eurorealists. Euroscepticism means something else to people in the Brussels institutions. It means people who criticise them and they're either a Eurosceptic or a populist. In the 1970s, Britain voted in favour of joining the European Community. 36 years later, newspapers and Conservatives are calling for a referendum on EU Membership. The current crisis plays a part, but many blame the media. Fleet Street is where British journalistic tradition was born. I was talking to a great American investigative reporter the other day. He said, 'What are newspapers for? We're here to make trouble.' That's part of the British tradition. The pen is mightier than the sword. UK journalists have razor-sharp Bics. I've been in Brussels for nine years. I've been with The Telegraph for five. I know the institutions well. I can be very nerdy if I want to be. British journalists are much more aggressive, so we will be quite rude to people. That's what people think, because we're not very deferential to 'Monsieur le Président' or whoever it is. The market calls for this aggressive approach. With 10 national newspapers and many regional sheets competing, the headlines must appeal to audiences. The more popular tabloids have been at the centre of many Euromyths. The European Commission keeps a list from the '90s. Some myths drive them bananas. Keeping correspondents abroad is expensive. The tabloids don't find that worthwhile in Brussels, so they rely on stringers. Stringers want to sell stories, so they exaggerate the story, they twist it, rightly from their point of view. They build on a story, twist it, exaggerate it, pander, if you like, to the line they think the editor will buy. A bent banana is a lovely story if you're a tabloid editor here. You can't miss it. Not all the blame can be placed on lazy journalism. Europe is hard to report. Covering environment, finance and foreign policy can be demanding. You have to be a super-journalist. Maybe that's one of the reasons why European affairs are covered so badly. There are not many supermen and superwomen around. Knowing your EFSF from your CSDP isn't as easy as ABC. At summits journalists often simplify matters. We tend to do summits as victory or defeat. It's more interesting if we trail it as a fight or a potential defeat on the way. The latest EU summit was no exception with one tabloid using a war reference. News is not about reporting what works well. Maybe the UK press is right after all to keep a critical eye on an institution that's growing in importance. It's not in every European country that you can find constant headlines, whether good or bad, about Europe. It is a live issue. Oscar Wilde said, 'There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.' EuroparlTV video ID: da921aed-7b23-4fa1-ac95-9fba013bb619