... they began discussing the plans details. Britain saw this as an unacceptable offer and decided not to join at that point in 1951. Another political issue was the fact that ministers especially in the foreign office were dubious that the EEC would succeed without Britain and therefore membership wasn't essential because the organisation would collapse. Also ministers like Bevin could not accept supra-nationality and when the Shuman plan demanded that Britain should accept supra-nationality before discussion about the plan, in Bevin's words it was like 'putting the roof on before you have built the house'. There was no point of joining the EEC if Britain had to accept a plan before they knew the full details of what this plan would entail. The left saw the EEC as a threat to socialism because they saw the EEC as a 'Capitalist Trading Bloc'. This would be a threat to socialism as it ...

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