TIMESONLINE: We must not be cheated of the promised vote on Europe
On Thursday, June 5, 1975, the United Kingdom held its only, referendum on Europe. This was to endorse the British membership of the European Community, which had already been ratified by Parliament in 1971; the treaty of accession had been signed on January 22, 1972.
The referendum put the question in this form: “Do you think that the United Kingdom should stay in the European Community (the common market)?” It has since been objected that this formulation was biased in two ways: by referring to “staying in”, it put the public preference for the status quo on the side of a “yes” vote; by referring to the “common market”, it implied that this was all that Britain was joining. The merger of the European institutions had taken place as far back as 1967. There has never been a referendum on joining the European Union. That body was created only in 1993, under the Maastricht treaty.
The result of the referendum in 1975 was decisive. England recorded a 68.7 per cent “yes” vote, on a 65 per cent turnout. Scotland had a 58.4 per cent “yes” vote; Wales 64.8 per cent. The only negative votes were in the Scottish fringes, with the Western Isles voting “no” by 70.5 per cent.
However, all this is a long time ago. The parents and grandparents of the present generation voted to stay in the common market 32 years ago; that does not tell us much about public attitudes to constitutional changes in the European Union in 2007. No one now aged less than 50 could have had a vote in 1975. Angela Merkel’s dream; Britain’s nightmare (more) By William Rees-Mogg
Mark Alexander
