A Horseradish
Thursday 30th May 2019 12:02pm [Edited]
8,475 posts
Yes.
I'm guessing that whatever happens in the various court cases, the lies told in the 1975 referendum will not be taken into account. Heath and probably Wilson knew from 1970 that it would lead to greater political and monetary union but we didn't know it then. They didn't let the information get out and Heath especially was full of denials.
There may also be denials from that time floating around in the media sphere of some who are still alive and at, say, 86 very vocal. No names. No pack drill. Anyhow, because we weren't told the truth,, most people like me were in favour of Remain. Well, not quite like me. I was 12 and not typical for being political but it was all very quiet. I wasn't a Thunberg.
Labour's Peter Shore was a highly individual figure, not on the far left of his party but slightly to the left of its centre. While respected, he was largely on his own in what he was saying from that part of the spectrum. The media sidelined him by emphasising that Benn who was moving to the hard left and the ultra conservative Enoch Powell were the main voices against our membership.
They rather easily conveyed both of them as mad -, (Benn with wild staring eyes and Enoch as fascist : he was much more complex than that : in fact one of the most intellectually substantial people ever to have been in Parliament although he is famous mostly for moments of awful racist ill-judgement), - not least because it was such a weird alliance. Arguably it was only that which meant that a majority voted to stay in. It was no stranger than Nigel Farage and George Galloway being in agreement now.
Incidentally, this clip does sort of give me goosebumps because it reminds me how so many figures in politics at that time with any sort of view seemed so - I am not sure what word to use - mature in comparison with the adolescent behaviour of today's MPs. The shock that came with the result - I remember it so well - people thought that the vote had been fixed, It didn't bother me at the time but, given what we have encountered since, I am prepared to think perhaps it was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j-Gb8Pk2Pk