The sad truth is that for 30 years our attitude could have been summed up by the phrase "grab the money and run". Instead of seeking to involve the people in the myriad of decisions concerning Europe, successive Governments judged that the best way to keep voters on side was to wave cheques at them. The brand image of Europe projected by every Government since we entered in 1973 was one of the gravy train which was given as the reason we should be involved in Europe. Time has shown this to be a short-sighted policy.