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A Question of Europe
A Question of Europe was a televised debate of the Oxford Union held on 3 June 1975. The debate was held two days before the 1975 referendum, in which the electorate were asked if Britain should remain a member of the European Economic Community (EEC) which it had joined in 1973. The statement debated was "that this House would say yes to Europe". Former prime minister Edward Heath and the leader of the Liberal Party Jeremy Thorpe spoke in favour of the motion and Labour ministers Barbara Castle and Peter Shore spoke against it. Heath judged that the audience were largely in favour of the motion anyway and in the vote after the debate, the statement was approved by 493 votes to 92. The debate was broadcast live on BBC1 with an introduction by Robin Day and Ludovic Kennedy; at the end of the programme David Dimbleby provided an update on other developments in the referendum campaign. The result of the 5 June referendum was 67% in favour of remaining within the EEC.
The European Economic Community (EEC), a common market for Western European nations, was founded by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. In 1961 Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan instructed the Lord Privy Seal, Edward Heath to enter negotiations to join the EEC. This was vetoed by French president Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Heath became prime minister in 1970 and, de Gaulle having resigned, resumed his application. Britain joined the EEC in 1973 after the ratification of the Treaty of Accession 1972.
Harold Wilson's Labour Party won the October 1974 United Kingdom general election, with a manifesto promising a referendum on continued British membership of the EEC. Wilson negotiated a number of concessions from the EEC regarding the Common Agricultural Policy, the level of British contribution to the EEC budget, harmonisation of VAT regulations, ongoing Economic and Monetary Union, and the maintenance of parliamentary sovereignty. Wilson announced a referendum on continued British membership of the EEC on 7 January 1975 to be held on 5 June.
On 18 March Wilson's cabinet endorsed his renegotiation and the House of Commons voted to support them on 9 April. The Conservative Parliamentary Party largely supported continued membership. Heath was challenged for the leadership of the party in February and lost to future prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher deliberately played a low-key role in the referendum, regarding Europe as "Ted's issue", Heath therefore played a more prominent role in the pro-EEC Britain in Europe campaign.
The Oxford Union is a debating society associated with Oxford University. It has held formal debates on contemporary and historic matters since the early 19th-century. The debates at this time were organised along formal lines, they followed a quasi-parliamentary procedure and all attendees wore dinner dress. A debate on EEC membership was chosen for 3 June, just two days prior to the referendum. The statement for the debate, that attendees would vote whether to approve, was "that this House would say yes to Europe".
The BBC decided to cover the event live on BBC1 and a slot in the schedule was allocated between 9:35 pm and 11:50 pm. The programme, entitled A Question of Europe, was introduced by Robin Day (who was a former president of the Oxford Union) and Ludovic Kennedy. The BBC's producers were Philip S. Gilbert, Tam Fry and its editor was Michael Townson. The event was anticipated as being one of the most historic to have been held by the Union.
Heath and Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe spoke in favour of the statement and Labour Secretary of State for Health and Social Services Barbara Castle and Secretary of State for Trade Peter Shore spoke against it. The debate was preceded by interviews of the speakers by Day and Kennedy and presided over by Oxford Union 1974/75 Trinity term president Victor van Amerongen. There were almost 600 attendees in the Union's debate chamber for the debate, amongst them was future Conservative minister Alistair Burt, then a student at Oxford who attended wearing the stereotyped French dress of a beret, striped shirt, and string of onions. Heath wrote afterwards that he thought that the audience was largely pro-yes.
Heath recalled, at the start of his oratory, that he had taken part in a Union debate as a student in which he opposed the Munich Agreement in the lead up to the Second World War. Heath went on to argue that the EEC was a vital institution to demonstrate that Europe had progressed since the two World Wars and to ensure continued peace. He claimed that Britain would be better able to maintain its sovereignty from within the community than if it were apart from it and questioned how the anti-EEC campaign could claim to support parliamentary sovereignty yet oppose the result of the Commons vote on accession. Heath maintained that a no vote would lead to a "siege economy" with protectionist import and monetary controls. Thorpe questioned how Britain would obtain cheap food supplies if membership was not continued. He described anti-EEC campaigners as a "coalition of 19th-century imperialists and 20th-century Marxists". Thorpe asked that if membership was not continued from where else would the country source affordable food.
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A Question of Europe
A Question of Europe was a televised debate of the Oxford Union held on 3 June 1975. The debate was held two days before the 1975 referendum, in which the electorate were asked if Britain should remain a member of the European Economic Community (EEC) which it had joined in 1973. The statement debated was "that this House would say yes to Europe". Former prime minister Edward Heath and the leader of the Liberal Party Jeremy Thorpe spoke in favour of the motion and Labour ministers Barbara Castle and Peter Shore spoke against it. Heath judged that the audience were largely in favour of the motion anyway and in the vote after the debate, the statement was approved by 493 votes to 92. The debate was broadcast live on BBC1 with an introduction by Robin Day and Ludovic Kennedy; at the end of the programme David Dimbleby provided an update on other developments in the referendum campaign. The result of the 5 June referendum was 67% in favour of remaining within the EEC.
The European Economic Community (EEC), a common market for Western European nations, was founded by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. In 1961 Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan instructed the Lord Privy Seal, Edward Heath to enter negotiations to join the EEC. This was vetoed by French president Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Heath became prime minister in 1970 and, de Gaulle having resigned, resumed his application. Britain joined the EEC in 1973 after the ratification of the Treaty of Accession 1972.
Harold Wilson's Labour Party won the October 1974 United Kingdom general election, with a manifesto promising a referendum on continued British membership of the EEC. Wilson negotiated a number of concessions from the EEC regarding the Common Agricultural Policy, the level of British contribution to the EEC budget, harmonisation of VAT regulations, ongoing Economic and Monetary Union, and the maintenance of parliamentary sovereignty. Wilson announced a referendum on continued British membership of the EEC on 7 January 1975 to be held on 5 June.
On 18 March Wilson's cabinet endorsed his renegotiation and the House of Commons voted to support them on 9 April. The Conservative Parliamentary Party largely supported continued membership. Heath was challenged for the leadership of the party in February and lost to future prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher deliberately played a low-key role in the referendum, regarding Europe as "Ted's issue", Heath therefore played a more prominent role in the pro-EEC Britain in Europe campaign.
The Oxford Union is a debating society associated with Oxford University. It has held formal debates on contemporary and historic matters since the early 19th-century. The debates at this time were organised along formal lines, they followed a quasi-parliamentary procedure and all attendees wore dinner dress. A debate on EEC membership was chosen for 3 June, just two days prior to the referendum. The statement for the debate, that attendees would vote whether to approve, was "that this House would say yes to Europe".
The BBC decided to cover the event live on BBC1 and a slot in the schedule was allocated between 9:35 pm and 11:50 pm. The programme, entitled A Question of Europe, was introduced by Robin Day (who was a former president of the Oxford Union) and Ludovic Kennedy. The BBC's producers were Philip S. Gilbert, Tam Fry and its editor was Michael Townson. The event was anticipated as being one of the most historic to have been held by the Union.
Heath and Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe spoke in favour of the statement and Labour Secretary of State for Health and Social Services Barbara Castle and Secretary of State for Trade Peter Shore spoke against it. The debate was preceded by interviews of the speakers by Day and Kennedy and presided over by Oxford Union 1974/75 Trinity term president Victor van Amerongen. There were almost 600 attendees in the Union's debate chamber for the debate, amongst them was future Conservative minister Alistair Burt, then a student at Oxford who attended wearing the stereotyped French dress of a beret, striped shirt, and string of onions. Heath wrote afterwards that he thought that the audience was largely pro-yes.
Heath recalled, at the start of his oratory, that he had taken part in a Union debate as a student in which he opposed the Munich Agreement in the lead up to the Second World War. Heath went on to argue that the EEC was a vital institution to demonstrate that Europe had progressed since the two World Wars and to ensure continued peace. He claimed that Britain would be better able to maintain its sovereignty from within the community than if it were apart from it and questioned how the anti-EEC campaign could claim to support parliamentary sovereignty yet oppose the result of the Commons vote on accession. Heath maintained that a no vote would lead to a "siege economy" with protectionist import and monetary controls. Thorpe questioned how Britain would obtain cheap food supplies if membership was not continued. He described anti-EEC campaigners as a "coalition of 19th-century imperialists and 20th-century Marxists". Thorpe asked that if membership was not continued from where else would the country source affordable food.