Re: Two possibilities
Data says something different.
To the question "Is the UK marginalised in the EU?":
Overall, using the best available data on EU decision-making, there is strong evidence that on average the UK has not been marginalised in the making of EU laws. The UK government has been closer to final policy outcomes than most other governments. This is also true for policy issues the UK government has been particularly concerned about, although there is some evidence that on certain policy issues, including internal market and trade, the UK has been less content with final EU decisions.
But there are some important caveats to these findings.
This dataset only covers policies that are subject to the main EU decision-making procedures, so not the EU budget or international treaties. The data only goes up to 2008, and obviously a lot has happened since then.
To the question "Is the UK a winner or loser in the EU Council?":
The council overwhelmingly decides by consensus, which means the UK is on the winning majority side almost 87% of the time.
The UK government might be more willing than other governments to publicly register its opposition to EU decisions.
The data does not tell us what went on behind the scenes on each of these issues, and hence how much the UK disagreed with the majority position when it recorded its opposition – perhaps the UK was on the winning side on all the key issues it really cared about in this period.
To the question "Do UK MEPs get key positions of power in Europe?":
In short, UK MEPs have captured many powerful agenda-setting positions. They have been vice-presidents, political group leaders, and chairs of important committees. UK MEPs have also won rapporteurships on key legislation, which has enabled them to shape EU law.
Moreover, UK MEPs have not been “underrepresented” relative to the MEPs from the other big member states. And all this has been despite the growing number of Ukip MEPs, who have not competed for many key offices or rapporteurships.
So, the UK was not at all marginalised, unlike what a certain leave-pushing character would have you believe, and it only started to marginalise itself from 2010 onwards.
And finally: "Britons among least knowledgeable about European Union".
So, there we go.