I think there's elements of both. Europe certainly isn't a political issue in the same way that the economy, NHS, law'n'order, defence, the environment etc. all are. It's just not in the public conciousness. I think also if we had a referendum on the EU, and thereby a proper national debate (So talk about the EU isn't just about straight bananas, "barmy Brussels bureaucrats" and other such guff ), people would see the benefits of the EU in their daily lives, such as visa-free travel etc., as well as all the economic and political arguments. Britain is differenet from the rest of Europe in a way that France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland etc. are all not, but I think we could and will revel in our role as the Texas of Europe (I.e. more conservative, more independent-minded, a bit weird).

Also, I've noticed if you ask young people their opinion on their EU, if they have one, it's almost always positive. I know maybe two, three guys my age who are Eurosceptics, as opposed to at least fifteen who have positive feelings about it. I'm not talking about my friends at uni, but friends back home in Lancashire, most of whom aren't that political (Certainly not as big political nerds as I am :D ). I'm confident that over time as a society we will become more obviously Euro-friendly.