EEC membership referendum in the United Kingdom in 1975
On June 5, 1975, a referendum was held in the United Kingdom on the country's membership of the European Economic Community (EEC). With a turnout of 64.0%, 67.2% of the voters voted to remain in the EEC, which the United Kingdom had joined two years earlier. It was the first nationwide referendum in UK history.
prehistory
After the Second World War , the European idea, ie the idea of creating a supranational European confederation to avoid future wars, was booming. The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke out several times for the creation of such a European union of states. However, it was just as clear to Churchill and most other British politicians that the United Kingdom would not belong to such a federation . Whenever Churchill spoke of "Europe" in this context, he meant continental Europe. He and others saw Great Britain's role primarily in the context of the Commonwealth of Nations .
Meanwhile, European integration advanced on the European continent . In 1952 the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was founded. On March 25, 1957, 6 states - Belgium , the West German Federal Republic , France , Italy , Luxembourg and the Netherlands - signed the Treaty of Rome , with which the European Economic Community (EEC) was founded. As a small alternative to the EEC, a number of European states that did not belong to the EEC, including the United Kingdom, founded the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1960 .
In the following years there was a remarkable continuous economic upswing in the EEC countries, the so-called German economic miracle was particularly impressive . In 1961, under Prime Minister Harold Macmillan , the United Kingdom made its first application for membership of the EEC. This, as well as a second application made under the government of Harold Wilson in 1967, was rejected due to the veto of French President Charles de Gaulle . The main reasons given for the veto were economic arguments, but the decisive factor was probably political considerations. De Gaulle wanted to prevent Anglo-Saxon influence in Europe, as this went against his conception of a French-led Europe. All the other EEC member states were in favor of Great Britain joining.
1969 de Gaulle resigned from the presidency. He was succeeded by Georges Pompidou , who was not opposed to the UK joining the EEC. As a safeguard, Pompidou had the approval of the EEC enlargement confirmed in a referendum on April 23, 1972 by the French electorate. After lengthy negotiations, the United Kingdom joined the Republic of Ireland and Denmark on January 1, 1973 as part of the first EEC enlargement .
Domestic political debate about accession or membership
In the UK, all three major parties, the Conservatives , Labor and Liberals, had been in favor of joining the EEC since the 1960s. The main argument against joining was that Britain did not want to endanger the old cultural and economic ties with the Commonwealth of Nations. Corresponding contracts were drawn up for this purpose.
On the British side, the negotiations for accession were essentially led by the then Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath , who was elected to office in mid-1970 and who was a staunch “pro-European”. The result of the negotiations was criticized by the opposition Labor Party, which promised to renegotiate the result in the event of an election victory and then to hold a referendum. The renegotiations should primarily concern the fields of the common agricultural policy , the intended alignment of VAT and economic and monetary policy. In February 1974 there was a new election in which neither of the two major parties won an absolute majority. A Labor minority government was then formed under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Due to the lack of a parliamentary majority, there was a second parliamentary election in October that same year , which the Labor Party won with a very narrow majority. Wilson remained prime minister. His government started new negotiations with the EEC and an agreement was reached mainly at the EEC summits in Paris in December 1974 and in Dublin in March 1975. The amendments to the treaty were adopted on April 9, 1975 by the British Parliament. The government announced the date for the promised referendum in April 1975. The following question was asked in the referendum:
"Do you think the United Kingdom should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?"
"Do you think the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Economic Community (the Common Market)?"
Most of the supporters of EEC membership were actually against a referendum. This element of direct democracy was new to the UK and first used in the 1973 referendum in Northern Ireland . Margaret Thatcher , who was elected the new Conservative party leader after the election defeat in March 1974, called the referendum "a device of dictators and demagogues" .
In the campaign leading up to the referendum, the majority of Labor members of the government, including the Prime Minister, voted in favor. The government had large numbers of relevant information leaflets distributed to all households. At least 7 out of 23 cabinet members spoke out against further EEC membership. There has been significant opposition to government policy, particularly from the Labor left wing. In order to convince his Labor party friends of the advantages of membership in the EEC, the newly elected Chancellor Helmut Schmidt traveled to England and gave a speech at the Labor Party Congress on November 30, 1974. Labor leaders who voted no include Michael Foot , Tony Benn , Peter Shore , Eric Varley , and Barbara Castle . At the Labor Party Congress on April 26, 1975, more than half of all delegates spoke out against membership of the EEC. Because of the internal turmoil, the Labor Party did not issue an official election recommendation. According to some election observers, the purpose of the referendum in Wilson's eyes was also to hold the divided Labor Party together. In the words of BBC commentator Peter Kellner : "... the decision to hold the 1975 European Communities referendum [...] was wholly to do with holding the Labor Party together" ("... the decision to hold a referendum was essentially determined by the goal to hold the Labor Party together ”). The conservative party leader Margaret Thatcher spoke out strongly in favor of EEC membership. The number of EEC skeptics among the Conservatives was significantly fewer than among the Labor Party. The most famous among them was Enoch Powell . The majority of the regional parties Scottish National Party (Scotland), Plaid Cymru (Wales), Ulster Unionist Party and Democratic Unionist Party (both Northern Ireland) voted for a “no”. Proponents of EEC membership included the Liberal Party , the Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP), and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland .
The British industry associations overwhelmingly backed the yes campaign, as did the vast majority of the press and the Church of England. The unions, which had a considerable influence on the Labor Party, were largely negative. Overall, the yes campaign was much better organized and financed.
Results
Results nationwide
Nationwide, 25,903,194 of 40,456,877 registered voters cast their votes, which corresponded to a voter turnout of 64.03%. 54,540 votes were considered invalid and 25,848,654 valid. Of the valid votes, 17,378,581 (67.2%) were votes in favor and 8,470,073 (32.8%) were voted against.
Part of the country | Voter turnout (%) |
Yes | No | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | % | number | % | ||
England | 64.6 | 14,918,009 | 68.66 | 6,810,017 | 31.34 |
Scotland | 61.7 | 1,332,166 | 58.42 | 948.039 | 41.58 |
Wales | 66.7 | 865.135 | 64.70 | 472.071 | 37.30 |
Northern Ireland | 47.4 | 259.251 | 52.15 | 237.911 | 47.85 |
United Kingdom | 64.03 | 17,378,581 | 67.23 | 8,470,073 | 32.77 |
Results by constituency
England
Part of the country | Participation% | Yes votes | Vote no | Yes (%) | No (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
England | 64.6 | 14,918,009 | 6,810,017 | 68.66 | 31.34 |
County ( County ) | Yes votes | Vote no | Yes (%) | No (%) | Participation% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Avon | 310.145 | 147.024 | 67.8 | 32.2 | 68.7 |
Bedfordshire | 154,338 | 67,969 | 69.4 | 30.6 | 67.9 |
Berkshire | 215.184 | 81,221 | 72.6 | 27.4 | 66.4 |
Buckinghamshire | 180,512 | 62,578 | 74.3 | 25.7 | 69.5 |
Cambridgeshire | 177,789 | 62.143 | 74.1 | 25.9 | 62.9 |
Cheshire | 290.714 | 123.839 | 70.1 | 29.9 | 65.5 |
Cleveland | 158,982 | 77,079 | 67.3 | 32.7 | 60.2 |
Cornwall | 137,828 | 63,478 | 68.5 | 31.5 | 66.8 |
Cumbria | 162,545 | 63,564 | 71.9 | 28.1 | 64.8 |
Derbyshire | 286.614 | 131,457 | 68.6 | 31.4 | 64.1 |
Devon | 334.244 | 129,179 | 72.1 | 27.9 | 68.0 |
Dorset | 217,432 | 78,239 | 73.5 | 26.5 | 68.3 |
Durham | 175.284 | 97.724 | 64.2 | 35.8 | 61.5 |
Essex | 463.505 | 222.085 | 67.6 | 32.4 | 67.7 |
Gloucestershire | 170.931 | 67,465 | 71.7 | 28.3 | 68.4 |
Greater London | 2,201,031 | 1,100,185 | 66.7 | 33.3 | 60.8 |
Greater Manchester | 797.316 | 439.191 | 64.5 | 35.5 | 64.1 |
Hampshire | 484.302 | 197,761 | 71.0 | 29.0 | 68.0 |
Hereford and Worcester | 203.128 | 75,779 | 72.8 | 27.2 | 66.4 |
Hertfordshire | 326.943 | 137.226 | 70.4 | 29.6 | 70.2 |
Humberside | 257,826 | 122.199 | 67.8 | 32.2 | 62.4 |
Isle of Wight | 40,837 | 17,375 | 70.2 | 29.8 | 67.5 |
Isles of Scilly | 802 | 275 | 74.5 | 25.5 | 75.0 |
Kent | 493,407 | 207.358 | 70.4 | 29.6 | 67.4 |
Lancashire | 455.170 | 208,821 | 68.6 | 31.4 | 67.2 |
Leicestershire | 291,500 | 106.004 | 73.3 | 26.7 | 66.4 |
Lincolnshire | 180.603 | 61.011 | 74.7 | 25.3 | 63.7 |
Merseyside | 465.625 | 252.712 | 64.8 | 35.2 | 62.7 |
Norfolk | 218.883 | 93,198 | 70.1 | 29.9 | 63.8 |
Northamptonshire | 162,803 | 71,322 | 69.5 | 30.5 | 65.0 |
Northumberland | 95,980 | 42,645 | 69.2 | 30.8 | 65.0 |
Nottinghamshire | 297.191 | 147,461 | 66.8 | 33.2 | 67.7 |
Oxfordshire | 179,938 | 64,643 | 73.6 | 26.4 | 67.7 |
Salop | 113.044 | 43,329 | 72.3 | 27.7 | 62.0 |
Somerset | 138,830 | 60,631 | 69.6 | 30.4 | 67.7 |
Staffordshire | 306,518 | 148.252 | 67.4 | 32.6 | 64.3 |
Suffolk | 187.484 | 72,251 | 72.2 | 27.8 | 64.9 |
Surrey | 386,369 | 120,576 | 76.2 | 23.8 | 70.1 |
East Sussex | 249.780 | 86,198 | 74.3 | 25.7 | 68.6 |
West Sussex | 242,890 | 73,928 | 76.7 | 23.3 | 68.6 |
Tyne and Wear | 344,069 | 202,511 | 62.9 | 37.1 | 62.7 |
Warwickshire | 156.303 | 67.221 | 69.9 | 30.1 | 68.0 |
West Midlands | 801.913 | 429.207 | 65.1 | 34.9 | 62.5 |
Wiltshire | 172.791 | 68.113 | 71.7 | 28.3 | 67.8 |
North Yorkshire | 234.040 | 72,805 | 76.3 | 23.7 | 64.3 |
South Yorkshire | 377.916 | 217,792 | 63.4 | 36.6 | 62.4 |
West Yorkshire | 616.730 | 326.993 | 65.4 | 34.6 | 63.6 |
Northern Ireland
Part of the country | Participation% | Yes votes | Vote no | Yes (%) | No (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Ireland | 47.4 | 259.251 | 237.911 | 52.15 | 47.85 |
Scotland
Part of the country | Participation% | Yes votes | Vote no | Yes (%) | No (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scotland | 61.7 | 1,332,166 | 948.039 | 58.42 | 41.58 |
region | Yes votes | Vote no | Yes (%) | No (%) | Participation% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Borders | 34.092 | 13,053 | 72.3 | 27.7 | 63.2 |
Central | 71,986 | 48,568 | 59.7 | 40.3 | 64.1 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 42,608 | 19,856 | 68.2 | 31.8 | 61.5 |
Fife | 84,239 | 65,260 | 56.3 | 43.7 | 63.3 |
Grampian | 108,520 | 78.071 | 58.2 | 41.8 | 57.4 |
Highland | 40,802 | 33,979 | 54.6 | 45.4 | 58.7 |
Lothian | 208.133 | 141,456 | 59.5 | 40.5 | 63.6 |
Orkney | 3,911 | 2,419 | 61.8 | 38.2 | 48.2 |
Shetland | 2,815 | 3,631 | 43.7 | 56.3 | 47.1 |
Strathclyde | 625.939 | 459.073 | 57.7 | 42.3 | 61.7 |
Tayside | 105,728 | 74,567 | 58.6 | 41.4 | 63.8 |
Western Isles | 3,393 | 8.106 | 29.5 | 70.5 | 50.1 |
Wales
Part of the country | Participation% | Yes votes | Vote no | Yes (%) | No (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales | 66.7 | 865.135 | 472.071 | 64.70 | 37.30 |
County ( Preserved County ) | Yes votes | Vote no | Yes (%) | No (%) | Participation% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clwyd | 123.980 | 55,424 | 69.1 | 30.9 | 65.8 |
Dyfed | 109.184 | 52.264 | 67.6 | 32.4 | 67.5 |
Mid glam organ | 147,348 | 111,672 | 56.9 | 43.1 | 66.6 |
South Glamorgan | 127.932 | 56,224 | 69.5 | 30.5 | 66.7 |
West Glamorgan | 112,989 | 70,316 | 61.6 | 38.4 | 67.4 |
Gwent | 132,557 | 80.992 | 62.1 | 37.9 | 68.2 |
Gwynedd | 76,421 | 31,807 | 70.6 | 29.4 | 64.3 |
Powys | 38,724 | 13,372 | 74.3 | 25.7 | 67.9 |
rating
The government had formulated no minimum turnout as a condition for the validity of the result. The turnout of 64% was lower than usual in the general election, but it still seemed acceptable. More than two thirds of the electorate and all four parts of the country (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) had spoken out in favor of remaining in the EEC, so that Prime Minister Wilson could feel confirmed in his policy. Home Secretary Roy Jenkins said in a statement on the result:
“It puts the uncertainty behind us. It commits Britain to Europe; it commits us to playing an active, constructive and enthusiastic role in it. "
“It ends the uncertainty. It binds Britain to Europe; it obliges us to play an active, constructive and enthusiastic role in it. "
Closing remarks
Despite decades of membership in the European Economic Community and, from 1994 onwards, the European Union, there has always been a Eurosceptic basic mood in the United Kingdom since joining in 1973. Interestingly, the positions of many political parties have reversed since the 1975 referendum. If in 1975 the Conservatives were still clearly in favor of the EEC and Labor was split into a pro-European and a eurosceptic group, it is the other way around today. If the regional parties Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru were still opponents of the EEC in 1975, today they are among the most resolute supporters of the EU. In 1975, Scotland was more skeptical of the EEC than in England. Today it is the other way round.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Address given by Harold Macmillan on the United Kingdom's application for membership to the EC (July 31, 1961). CVCE, accessed December 12, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Matthias Krupa : Great Britain: A Kingdom for Europe. Die Zeit, January 31, 2013, accessed on December 12, 2015 .
- ↑ a b On this day: November 27th: 1967: De Gaulle says 'non' to Britain - again. BBC News, accessed December 12, 2015 .
- ^ Agreement in Paris: nothing stands in the way of London joining the EEC. Die Zeit online, May 28, 1971, accessed on December 12, 2015 .
- ^ Let us work together - Labor's way out of the crisis. The Labor Party, accessed December 12, 2015 (Labor election manifesto 1974).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Vaughne Miller: The 1974-75 UK Renegotiation of EEC Membership and Referendum . In: Briefing paper . No. 7253 , July 13, 2015 ( online ).
- ↑ Harold Wilson: BRITAIN'S NEW DEAL IN EUROPE. Accessed December 12, 2015 .
- ↑ These were Michael Foot , Tony Benn , Peter Shore , Barbara Castle , Eric Varley , William Ross, and John Silkin .
- ↑ SCHMIDT AT LABOR CONFERENCE. November 30, 1974, accessed December 12, 2015 (YouTube video of Schmidt's speech at the Labor Party Congress).
- ↑ Archive: how the Guardian reported the 1975 EEC referendum. The Guardian, accessed December 12, 2015 .
- ^ Conservative Central Office: Yes to Europe, The Conservative Guide for the 1975 Referendum Campaign. London: Conservative Research Department, 1975. 96 pp. 28-52, 55-66. pdf (accessed December 12, 2015)
- ^ Thresholds in referendums. www.parliament.uk, June 30, 2011, accessed December 12, 2015 .
- ↑ On this day: 6 June: 1975: UK embraces Europe in referendum. BBC News, accessed December 12, 2015 .
- ↑ Nick Eardley: Is Scotland the most pro-EU part of the UK? BBC News, February 18, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 .