Chapter 12 (3) Flashcards
When did Britain join the EEC
1973 after the third time
Britain’s application to the EEC
Heath was very passionate about the application
Heaths first speech in Parliament was about the Schuman plan
France was now lead by Georges Pompidou
There were issues trying to get it through Parliament especially from Enoch Powell. He refused to run as a Conservative candidate in February 1974 and called voters to choose Labour
Huge divides within Labour
Labour left was mostly hostile to the EEC
Wilson argued that Heath’s terms were not good enough
In the vote 69 rebel Labour MPs voted for it and 20 abstained
European referendum
Referendum campaign in 1975
Wilson didn’t force a party line which allowed his anti European cabinet colleagues to vote freely and maintain party unity
Most of the press were strongly in favour
A survey found that out of 419 company chairman, only 4 wanted to leave
68.3% voted yes
Reassuring look for government
Wilson also avoided a Labour split
