AS Theresa May dashes about the continent trying to salvage her deal and her career, she could well do with a couple of lessons from history dating back to the first UK European referendum in 1975.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 1975?
THE 1975 vote, officially the Referendum on the European Community (Common Market) took place on June 5, 1975, just 29 months and four days after the UK had joined the European Community.
It should be noted that there was never a referendum on joining the EC, as Prime Minister Ted Heath’s Conservative Party had fought the 1970 General Election on a platform of joining the common market and many people attributed Heath’s unexpected success to that strong manifesto commitment.
Heath negotiated our entry practically from the first day of his premiership. Four years later, and facing a massive split in his Labour Party on the issue of Europe – yes, it was mainly Labour who had the internecine strife on the issue back then – Harold Wilson promised an “in/out” referendum but crucially made a manifesto commitment to renegotiate the UK’s membership terms first. When Labour won an overall majority of just three in October, 1974, Wilson duly called the plebiscite.
Memo to all sides in the current debate: a so-called people’s vote on our membership of the European Union would actually be the third such referendum as the 1975 Yes vote on the UK’s membership of the European Economic Community was supposed to be final. And yes, the pooling of sovereignty which is what underpins the EU was a topic for huge debate at the time. So a people’s vote really would be “best of three”.
WAS THERE A THERESA MAY FIGURE IN ’75?
YES, and his name was Harold Wilson. His party was split, the country was divided, the debates passionate and the issues clouded with misunderstanding and downright lies – sound familiar? Yet as prime minister he had to find a way forward – in effect, do a deal with the other eight EC nations that would enable him to recommend staying in.
The fundamental difference between Wilson then and May now, apart from their party allegiances, was that there were just eight other EC countries to deal with. The rows also all happened before the referendum, not after it, and the press was generally supportive of staying in.
Wilson led the In campaign which was backed by many in his own party and plenty of Tories, with a certain Margaret Thatcher to the fore in their colours.
Immigration was not even an issue – freedom of movement did not start until 1992.
It was not to be a legally binding referendum but Wilson pledged to abide by the result. Same as happened in 2016.
WHAT DID WILSON DO?
THE wiliest politician of his generation faced several complex issues. For a start the British economy was in the doldrums with inflation above 20% and unemployment rising, while productivity was very low after the industrial strife – remember the three-day week? – of previous years.
Labour wanted to be free to introduce socialist policies to tackle unemployment – more nationalisation if needed – and it was the left wing which gave him most trouble. Seven of the 23 members of his Cabinet were given permission to campaign against the official government stance of support for In.
Tony Benn, one of the chief campaigners for Out, falsely claimed that two years in the EC had cost 500,000 jobs, while Wilson had to be careful not to upset his Tory supporters with the constant Labour claims that Ted Heath had negotiated a bad deal.
Throughout late 1974 and early 1975, Foreign Secretary Jim Callaghan was tasked with renegotiating such issues as the UK’s contribution to the EC and furthering better trade with Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand – the price of butter became a big issue at one point. Callaghan did a superb job of dividing and conquering the opposition – France versus the rest, basically – and that’s when Wilson pulled his master stroke.
Having leaked story after story of the UK’s plucky fight, he went to the European Council meeting in Dublin on March 10 and 11, 1975, to finalise the renegotiation of our membership as promised. In a triumph of propaganda, Wilson claimed he had achieved almost everything the UK wanted.
He had not, but managed to convince politicians, the press and the people that he had. Wilson won comfortably. May won’t.
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