The British tabloid press has a long and antagonistic relationship with the EU and European Commission, frequently publishing misleading, misguided and histrionic articles with a tenuous relationship to fact. Consistently, the perceived Bureaucracy of Brussels is a target for mockery and incredulity, with British institutions bearing the brunt of ‘EU Meddling’. Frequently these stories contain a core of distorted truth. Referencing proposed changes in law and policy but selectively worded to erode confidence in European politics. While it may be true that not all EU policy has a positive effect on the populace or economy of the United Kingdom, the role of the Media in creating an aura of scepticism and mistrust cannot be overstated.

In light of the escalation of rhetoric, both pro and anti EU, this project seeks to highlight a Media Obsession with the sometimes accurate, but largely invented influence of the European Commission on our goods, habits and policies. The red tape utilised here, a well known symbol of bureaucratic excess.

This work is produced using information published on the European Commission’s own Myth Busting website, which is dedicated to debunking and clarifying tabloid propagated misinformation. 

The images presented here represent just three of the many media targets. No more curvy bananas! Eggs that have to be stamped with the home address of the hen that laid it! Fish can only be addressed in their Latin names! Each a half truth of destabilising propaganda that helped to pave the way for Britain’s current precarious political position.