Yes, we've never been 'in Europe' in a meaningful sense. We've always been on the sidelines, carping and whining on about everything which doesn't suit us, demanding special treatment and then throwing our toys when things don't go our way. Is it any wonder there is such little goodwill towards us now, after all that?
Given we were the people who invented the concept of a 'club',it's embarrassing that we join a club and then spend so long trying to undermine its rules and structure because we think we're too good to follow the rules that everyone else follows and that we ourselves had a hand in making.