Trade unions do not expect to have much influence over a Conservative government. But they appear to have had a major impact on David Cameron’s strategy regarding Britain’s relations with the rest of Europe. This, combined with the escalating crisis regarding the settlement of refugees from outside Europe, has pushed him a long way from where he wanted to be. These are movements in the right direction, nevertheless.At the top of the Prime Minister’s list for renegotiating the terms of Britain’s membership of the European Union was a return to the opt-out from the Social Protocol of the Maastricht Treaty, which John Major proclaimed at the time as a triumph. The Social Protocol sought to establish common EU-wide standards in employment law, industrial relations, and