“BROKER OR BRAKEMAN?”: AN ANALYSIS OF PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES ON SCHUMAN PLAN BETWEEN BRITISH LABOUR AND CONSERVATIVE PARTIES

Year 2018, Volume: 33 Issue: 1, 261 - 281, 12.07.2018

Pınar Uz Hançarlı

https://doi.org/10.18513/egetid.443320

Abstract

9 May 1950 was a milestone in the history of European Integration when the French Foreign
Minister Robert Schuman proposed the pooling of French and West German supplies of coal and
steel; and made an invitation to other European states willing to be involved in this plan. The
invitation for the conference on Schuman Plan came to the agenda of British Parliament on 26
June as a motion by Conservative Party demanding Labour Party Government to accept the
invitation which had already been declined at the end of May, 1950. Following the debate on 26-
27 June, The Economist published an article titled “Broker or Brakeman?” in which the Schuman
Plan discussions on British Parliament were explored. The Journal was arguing that “it is the
resemblances, not the differences, between the outlook of Government and Opposition that are
most striking” on this issue of foreign policy. Although this argument makes sense to a certain
extent; this study argues that it was the adversarial nature of British party politics that shaped the
general structure of the above mentioned parliamentary debate. Moreover, this nature contributed
the decision makers to apply exceptionalist discourses and policies when it came to European
Integration, therefore to a British non-involvement in the Plan. 

Keywords

Schuman Plan, British Conservative Party, British Labour Party, adversarialism, exceptionalism

“Broker Or Brakeman?”: An Analysis Of Parliamentary Debates On Schuman Plan Between British Labour And Conservative Parties*

Abstract

Fransız Dışişleri Bakanı Robert Schuman’ın Fransa ve Batı Almanya’nın kömür ve çelik
rezervlerinin birleştirilmesini önermesi ve diğer Avrupa devletlerine de bu plana katılmaları için
davet göndermesi ile 9 Mayıs 1950 Avrupa bütünleşmesi tarihinde bir dönüm noktası oldu.
Aslında 1950 Mayıs’ının sonunda Britanya tarafından reddedilen Schuman Planı için
düzenlenecek konferansa katılım daveti Britanya Parlamentosu gündemine 26 Haziran’da
Muhafazakâr Parti’nin İşçi Partisi hükümetinin bu daveti kabulünü talep eden önergesiyle gelmiş. oldu. 26-27 Haziran’daki parlamento görüşmelerinin ardından The Economist dergisi bu
görüşmelerin ele alındığı “Simsar mı Frenci mi?” başlık bir makale yayınladı. Makaleye göre bu
dış politika konusunda “Muhalefet ve İktidar tutumları arasında belirgin olan görüş farklılıkları
değil, benzerlikleriydi”. Her ne kadar bu argüman belirli bir dereceye kadar anlaşılabilir olsa da,
bu çalışmada Britanya siyasi partilerinin hasımlığa dayanan yapısının yukarıda bahsi geçen
parlamento görüşmelerinin genel çerçevesini belirlediği savunulmaktadır. Ayrıca, bu siyasi yapı
Britanya karar alıcılarının Avrupa bütünleşmesi konusunda istisnacılık söylemleri ve politikalarını
benimsemelerine ve nihayetinde Britanya’nın Schuman Planı dışında kalmasına katkıda
bulunduğu belirtilmektedir.

Keywords

Schuman Planı, Britanya Muhafazakâr Partisi, Britanya İşçi Partisi, hasımlık, istisnacılık

References

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