[WS:] Perhaps it is an old stereotype, like British cooking. As they say, Brits ruled India for over 100 years and never learned how to use spices - which tells volumes about both :).
But more seriously, I never understood the obstinacy of some segments of the Euro left toward the EU. I understand the reservations against the Eurozone and giving up national fiscal policy - but that is more of a concern to social democrats. To me, the defining characteristic of the left is internationalism, and EU made a tremendous progress toward internationalization of Europe. Obviously, there is still much to be done in that area - but EU, or even more the Schengen Agreement, resulted in cross border "human exchange" on a scale never seen before in that part of that world. All major EU cities are very cosmopolitan, you can hear a dozen of different languages in the streets - and that by itself reduced insularity. I travel to EU quite often, and I see a big difference in attitudes toward people who do not speak the native tongue of the land between now and 20 or so years ago.
I have to admit, I am very much for the EU for a number of reasons, and the EU skeptics tend to be the types that I avoid like a plague. But lest you say that it is easy to be pro EU while living in the US, my family and friends who live there are all pro EU as well.
Wojtek