Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables and Graph
- Preface
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Rise and Fall of British Social Democracy, 1945–2016
- 2 A European Love Affair, 1960–1973?
- 3 The Voices of Dissent, 1960–1973
- 4 The Referendum and its Aftermath, 1975–1983
- 5 The Tories Turn Against Europe, 1983–2005
- 6 Labour Changes Position, 1983–2005
- 7 Crisis, Renegotiation and Referendum, 2005–2016
- Conclusion
- Notes to the Text
- Bibliography and Other Sources
- Index
3 - The Voices of Dissent, 1960–1973
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2019
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables and Graph
- Preface
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Rise and Fall of British Social Democracy, 1945–2016
- 2 A European Love Affair, 1960–1973?
- 3 The Voices of Dissent, 1960–1973
- 4 The Referendum and its Aftermath, 1975–1983
- 5 The Tories Turn Against Europe, 1983–2005
- 6 Labour Changes Position, 1983–2005
- 7 Crisis, Renegotiation and Referendum, 2005–2016
- Conclusion
- Notes to the Text
- Bibliography and Other Sources
- Index
Summary
If the British people are herded into a federation against their will, the whole fabric of our society will be threatened. First, we shall find ourselves governed by laws we did not make and cannot change. Second, we shall find ourselves taxed by people we did not elect and cannot remove. Third, we shall find ourselves locked in to economic policies that may harm us and cannot be altered because they were devised to meet the needs of others. Fourth, we shall be governed by European bureaucrats elected by no one for whom Ministers are only needed as a rubber stamp.
(Tony Benn, 17 March 1972)The supreme right of the Commons to tax, legislate and call the executive to account has already been ceded. In the next Parliament will be completed the absorption of Britain into the new European State as one province along with others. … There is just the little matter of securing for all this, before it is irrecoverable and irreversible, what used to be considered as manifestly indispensable – the full-hearted consent of the British people.
(Enoch Powell, 9 June 1973)Introduction
In April 1969, Richard Crossman noted in his diary that ‘to get in now is somewhat a point of honour for poor, battered Britain who has been on the doorstep for six years’. The UK was to remain battered, or, at least, on the doorstep, for a further four years. And yet, after all this toil and trouble, the British embarked upon an in/out referendum within two years of accession. How and why did this striking volte-face come about? This chapter seeks to provide an understanding of sources of opposition to membership.
The principal explanation is concerned with sovereignty. Although there were exceptions – supporters or opponents of membership who took their stand on anomalous or idiosyncratic bases – the core of the opposition to the EEC was the assertion that the UK would, by joining, cease to be a fully independent state. This in turn invites the question: sovereign to do what? Sovereignty would scarcely seem an overwhelming objection if one wanted to pursue domestic policies that aligned closely with those permitted or required by the EEC.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Europe and the Decline of Social Democracy in Britain: From Attlee to BrexitFrom Attlee to Brexit, pp. 93 - 124Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2019