to draw some. Relative prosperity was however short-lived as the oil crises of the 1970s signalled the onset of a long period of worldwide recession that curtailed growth and initiated a long and painful descent of industry into the 1990s. Immediately upon joining the EC in 1973 the national north-south divide was exacerbated and extended to a European leIn this essay we will talk about the problems of membership of the European Union (EU) and its effect on the traditional, national principals and convention. Probably the most significant impact membership of the European Union has had on regional development in the UK is regards a deepening of the north south divide. Although only politically recognised in the 1980s this divide has a history that stretches back to the original location of major manufacturing activity in the north of the UK. Beginning with the extraction of coal to fuel the industrial revolution. This acted as a catalyst, which initiated a process of cumulative causation in northern areas and consequently led to the development of shipbuilding, textile, iron and steel and port-based activities. It was industries such as these that constituted the springboard for British expansion abroad and dominated the functionality of the regions major conurbations (Champion and Townsend, 1990). As Britain’s position as the leading manufacturing economy changed in the twentieth century and competitors from other industrialising nations checked the growth of northern industries a new source of dynamism was needed.

This was provided by the boom conditions after the Second World War, which led to new rounds of investment occurring mainly in consumer goods and motor vehicles and components manufacturing, though traditional industries still persisted to draw some. Relative prosperity was however short-lived as the oil crises of the 1970s signalled the onset of a long period of worldwide recession that curtailed growth and initiated a long and painful descent of industry into the 1990s. Immediately upon joining the EC in 1973 the national north-south divide was exacerbated and extended to a European lev

in the 1980s this divide has a history that stretches back to the original location of major manufacturing activity in the north of the UK. Beginning with the extraction of coal to fuel the industrial revolution. This acted as a catalyst, which initiated a process of cumulative causation in northern areas and consequently led to the development of shipbuilding, textile, iron and steel and port-based activities. It was industries such as these that constituted the springboard for British expansion abroad and dominated the functionality of the regions major conurbations (Champion and Townsend, 1990). As Britain’s position as the leading manufacturing economy changed in the twentieth century and competitors from other industrialising nations checked the growth of northern industries a new source of dynamism was needed.

This was provided by the boom conditions after the Second World War, which led to new rounds of investment occurring mainly in consumer goods and motor vehicles and components manufacturing, though traditional industries still persisted to draw some. Relative prosperity was however short-lived as the oil crises of the 1970s signalled the onset of a long period of worldwide recession that curtailed growth and initiated a long and painful descent of industry into the 1990s. Immediately upon joining the EC in 1973 the national north-south divide was exacerbated and extended to a European le

lding, textile, iron and steel and port-based activities. It was industries such as these that constituted the springboard for British expansion abroad and dominated the functionality of the regions major conurbations (Champion and Townsend, 1990). As Britain’s position as the leading manufacturing economy changed in the twentieth century and competitors from other industrialising nations checked the growth of northern industries a new source of dynamism was needed.

This was provided by the boom conditions after the Second World War, which led to new rounds of investment occurring mainly in consumer goods and motor vehicles and components manufacturing, though traditional industries still persisted to draw some. Relative prosperity was however short-lived as the oil crises of the 1970s signalled the onset of a long period of worldwide recession that curtailed growth and initiated a long and painful descent of industry into the 1990s. Immediately upon joining the EC in 1973 the national north-south divide was exacerbated and extended to a European le

from other industrialising nations checked the growth of northern industries a new source of dynamism was needed.

This was provided by the boom conditions after the Second World War, which led to new rounds of investment occurring mainly in consumer goods and motor vehicles and components manufacturing, though traditional industries still persisted to draw some. Relative prosperity was however short-lived as the oil crises of the 1970s signalled the onset of a long period of worldwide recession that curtailed growth and initiated a long and painful descent of industry into the 1990s. Immediately upon joining the EC in 1973 the national north-south divide was exacerbated and extended to a European le

to draw some. Relative prosperity was however short-lived as the oil crises of the 1970s signalled the onset of a long period of worldwide recession that curtailed growth and initiated a long and painful descent of industry into the 1990s. Immediately upon joining the EC in 1973 the national north-south divide was exacerbated and extended to a European level. Not only was the north distant from the concentrated hub of growth in the south-east of the country it was now geographically peripheral to the core of Europe and its status as such had been compounded. However, it is since the Single European Act of 1986 that the problem of increased peripherally has manifested itself as unequal levels of regional development in the UK. The Single European Act provided the legal muscle that made the target of a Single European Market by 1992 a realistic possibility (Franklin, 1990). It prevented the creation of new and began a process of harmonisation for existing legislation (including taxation and excise duties etc.) aimed at stabilising the Community's internal market and increasing the mobility of capital, labour and goods (Minshull, 1990). Consequently, a new European trading bloc has been created in which competition between companies (and countries) has increased. But within this trading bloc, according to the free market neoclassical ideals to which the European Commission adhere, the rules of comparative advantage apply. Inevitably this favours some regions as opposed to others who suffer a considerable and damaging lag in the reallocation of resources (Clout, 1994).

In this instance, it is the core, offering operation at maximum efficiency with minimum transportation cost, superior infrastructure and highest profit who appear to be benefiting (Minshul