"Spanning seventy years from the 1930s to the present day, this epic play follows Bill Bretherton's adventures in the labyrinthine complexities of Britain's relationship with Europe." "Though hailing from a small Suffolk fishing village, Bill rises through the post-war ranks of the Civil Service, first under Attlee and then as Ted Heath's private secretary, resigning in protest at Heath's refusal to protect the British fishing industry. He goes to Strasbourg as a Furocrat, only to witness the wholesale corruption engendered by farm subsidies. Disillusioned, he ends up as an inspector for MAFF (the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) Supervising the destruction of the very fishing boats his family had once depended on for their livelihood." "Named after the French foreign minister who first promulgated the economic unification of Europe, The Schuman Plan moves deftly through the history of post-war Britain, but constantly roots itself in the ordinary lives of its citizens, showing how the personal is almost always political, and vice versa. The Schuman Plan premiered at Hampstead-Theatre, London, in February 2006."--BOOK JACKET.