An Idiot's Guide to the EU

[Napper Tandy]

Pass......why?

Back in the 70s a German retailer wanted to import Creme de Cassis from France. Typically the liqueur had a ABV of 15% but German Law at the time stated that to be a liqueur it must be above 25% ABV. So the retailer couldn't buy it. So they brought a Court Case to the ECJ.

They won the case and the court ruled that products in one EU country are also legal in other EU countries. The verdict forced the member states to agree on common standards which they would otherwise not have agreed.

[KatieMorag]

The debates that took place during the negotiations of the UK's third application to join the European Community -ie, between 1970 and 1972 - centred on the subject of sovereignty. Those opposed to joining the EC were concerned that the UK would lose power; those in favour maintained that although some loss of sovereignty was inevitable, it would be worth it for the economic advantages membership of the European Community would bring, and the collective strenghth of the European Community as a whole.

[KatieMorag]

Heath's government has frequently been accused if misleading the country over what membership of the EC would mean in terms of sovereignty. However, an official Foreign and Commonwealth
document spelled out exactly what would happen should the application to join the EC be successful, listing "Areas of Policy in which Parliamentary freedom to legislate will be affected by entry into the
European Communities". These included customs duties, agriculture and the free movement of labour. services and capital.

[KatieMorag]

Article from Telegraph on Britain's bid to join the EC in the early 70s:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2016/03/29/no-britain-wasnt-lied-to-when-we-joined-the-eu-we-knew-what-we-w/amp/

[KatieMorag]

In January 1972, Once the negotiations between the UK and the EC had been completed and the EC was satisfied that the UK met the required criteria to join it, Edward Heath signed the Treaty of Accession. This formal agreement between the UK and the EC meant that the UK's membership of the EC had been approved by the other member states but the process was not over yet. Parlianent still had to give its assent and several months of debate followed before the European Communities Act was passed in 17th October. The following day the UK depisited its "Instrument of Ratification", and membership of the EC became effective on 1st January 1973.

[KatieMorag]

The 1975 Referendum

Heath may have had reason to celebrate in 1973, but the following year, when Harold Wilson's Labour Party came to power, the thorny subject of EEC membership was back on the table, with Harold Wilson promising to renegotiate Britain's terms of membership and then give the people the final say in a referendum. The Labour party was divided on the issue of the EC or "Common Market" as it was more generally known. Many of those on the Left of the party, in particular Industry Secretary Tomy Benn, were strongly opposed to membership. Heath's successor as Tory leader - one Margaret Hilda Thatcher - was, on the other hand, firmly in favour of remaining in Europe, even sporting a jumper made up of EC flags during the campaign. All the national papers, with the exception of The Morning Star and The Spectator, were in favour of remaining in the Union, with the Daily Mail, Daily Express and Sun all actively campaigning for it.

[cogito]

...All the national papers, with the exception of The Morning Star and The Spectator, were in favour of remaining in the Union, with the Daily Mail, Daily Express and Sun all actively campaigning for it.

My, how things change.

[KatieMorag]

My, how things change.

Yes, and you can see where Corbyn gets his lukewarm attitude to Europe from.

[KatieMorag]

The country was also divided along geographical lines; in general, the English - particularly in the South - were more likely to be in favour of staying in Europe than their neighbours in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Scottish Nationalist Alex Salmond remarking that "Scotland knows from bitter experience what treatment is in store for a powerless region of a common market."

[KatieMorag]

The political climate, at home and abroad, was very different at the time of the 1975 referendum, and this was reflected in the attitudes of both politicians and people to membership of the European Community. The USA's credibility as a world leader had been considerably weakened following events in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal, prompting EC supporters to stress the importance of European unity in the face of the ever-present threat of Soviet aggression. The Second World War - and in many cases even the First - was still in living memory, and another war was regarded as something to be avoided at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing some degree of sovereignty. Closer to home, British politics in the early 1970s was dominated by inflation, unemployment and industrial unrest. Many feared that leaving the EC would plunge the country into an economic crisis. Again, the spectre of the war loomed large in people's minds; many could remember rationing and food shortages were a very real fear for them. The promotion of the Common Market as the "Supermarket of Europe", with the emphasis on abundant food supplies, choice and convenience was an important part if the campaign to keep the UK " in". However, the economy also played a major role in the "Anti-Marketeers' " campaign; they suggested membership had caused many of the UK's problems, with Tony Benn claiming it was responsible for massive job losses. Immigration from Europe was not a feature of the 1975 campaign; instead, the focus was on the fear of mass migration of young Britons to Europe.

[quinner]

Like many people, I'm in a state of confusion over the Brexit negotiations so I thought I'd try to overcome this by learning a bit more about the EU - going back to basics, really. So to kick it off, here's a very general account of the origins of the EU.
After World War Two, the so-called "Founding Fathers" - a diverse group of individuals including politicians, lawyers and resistance fighters - began to look into ways of avoiding such conflicts in the future. They included Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the new Federal Republic of Germany, Britain's Winston Churchill - who, according to the EU's website, was "one of the first to call for a 'United States of Europe' ", a fact which might surprise many older Brits today - and Italy's Altiero Spinelli. All these men were united in their vision of a united, peaceful Europe, and thought the way to achieve that was through greater economic co-operation. French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet, a political and economic advisor, drew up what became known as the Schuman Plan, which was published on 9th May 1950. The plan advocated joint control of the iron and steel industry, the idea being that as these were the main ingredients of the Arms industry, such co-operation would prevent any one nation becoming dominant in that area, and therefore lessen the chances of another war.
This led to the Treaty of Paris in 1951, which created the European Coal and Steel Community. To begin with, only six countries were involved. These were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 1957, at the Treaty of Rome, the European Economic Community, or "Common Market", was formally created and, at the same time, the European Atomic Energy Community to work alongside it. In 1967, the three communities - the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community - merged into the European Communities. At this stage, the focus of the organisation was on co-operation in economic and agricultural matters.

Churchill tried to form a Union with France in 1940 so France would have to stay in the War....He failed as France was in no mood to carry on fighting.. The main reason for the steel coal agreement was because unlike the. USA and UK,France had little influence over Germany....Germany had lost a great part of its coal and steel industry in the East so it had little choice but to agree

[KatieMorag]

1975 Referendum continued........

Then as now, support for each of the 1975 campaigns crossed traditional political lines. The "In" side was led by MPs from both Left and Right, including Harold Wilson, Shirley Williams, Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher. Their campaign was endorsed by a whole host of celebrities, sports personalities, businesses, churches and most of the press. The "Out" side was led by a diverse group of politicians including Tony Benn and Enoch Powell, whose controversial reputations did little to further their cause. They were backed by the TUC, though some unions chose to support the "In" campaign. The "Out" side was probably hindered by the fact that it was backed by extremist political groups such as the Communist Party and the National Front, and even by the IRA. With such limited - and controversial - leadership and backing it is hardly surprising that on 5th June 1975 more than 2/3 of those who cast their vote chose to remain in the European Community.

[KatieMorag]

Here's the article I got my information from, including pics of Maggie in her jumper.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.historyextra.com/period/modern/britain-decides-the-first-european-referendum/amp/

[KatieMorag]

Sorry, it won't let me share the article!

[quinner]

The people in the UK voted to leave the EU.....They were not given a voting choice to join the EU......They never voted to join the EU