But the lengthy courtship had none of the sulfuric resentment of the divorce that would follow four decades later. But ever since Britain and Europe tied the knot in 1973, the relationship has been a tortured one -- with arguments about money, accusations of infidelity and seeping exasperation on both sides. Then too, opinion in Britain was divided, with the center of British politics arguing "join" while left and right resisted. Young loveI am old enough to remember the October night in 1971 when the House of Commons voted in favor of joining. It was often derided as the "sick man" of Europe, beset by strikes.

Source: CNN June 25, 2016 06:33 UTC