Britain's Experiment in Direct Democracy
BERNICK, MIKE
HOW THE EEC VOTE WORKED Britain's Experiment in Direct Democracy by mike bernick London The national referendum has often been advocated in both the United States and Britain. Legislators, it...
...Although there was a more significant split in Labor than in Conservative ranks over the referendum, the leaders of the ruling party who strongly favored staying in were its most highly regarded members...
...In a Harris survey published May 5, voters were read the sentence, "Mr...
...In other words, had the EEC question been left to Parliament the answer would have been the same-and at far less material and emotional cost...
...speeding up comprehensive schooling, 41 per cent...
...Benn or Mr...
...On the eve of the vote, 59 per cent were for and 31 per cent against...
...Yet analysis of the first such vote in British history, held June 5 to determine whether the country should remain in the European Economic Community (EEC), suggests that the procedure is of limited value as a tool of direct democracy...
...In May...
...A poll taken in early May by Maraplan asked people which politicians, if any, affected their decision...
...The other anti-Marketeers, Michael Foot, Peter Shore and Anthony Wedgwood Benn, finished in the bottom three places, securing ratings of +6, +1 and -2, respectively...
...When asked, "Does this make you more or less likely to vote for leaving the Market?," 6 per cent replied "more likely," 27 per cent "less likely,' and 55 per cent felt it would make no difference...
...That was confirmed by a Gallup poll in early May asking Labor voters to rate a dozen of their prominent ministers as to whether he/she was an asset to the party...
...During the debate last March 12 over the EEC referendum bill, Edward Short, Labor party leader in the House of Commons, contended that since the country continued to be divided on the Common Market issue, a popular ballot was needed to settle the matter once and for all...
...In the next two months Gallup found little change in the level of interest-despite the numerous meetings, the generous press coverage, the radio and television broadcasts devoted to the subject...
...Early in April, the Gallup organization polled voters on the question, "How interested are you in whether we stay in or leave the Community...
...pro-Marketeers argued that additional jobs would become available...
...Pro-Marketeers argued that food prices would drop...
...Thus the British experience raises serious doubt that the referendum is the best vehicle for settling a troubling question once and for all in a democracy...
...Legislators, it is said, are frequently ignorant of public views, or else swayed by pressure groups and party commitments...
...Mike Bernick, a past contributor to these pages, is currently doing graduate work at Oxford University...
...It is for us to rejoice that a cause supposed to appeal right across the political board is being increasingly identified with one tiny corner of it...
...The trade-unions' views, interestingly, seemed to count for little among their members and still less among nonmembers...
...The evidence is clear, however, that debates on these matters had little impact on the ultimate outcome of the contest...
...Not only did the voters tend to side with their favorite political figures...
...never has there been such an example of the lavish and unquestioned provision of rope with which those demanding it may hang themselves...
...On the night of the vote, Anthony Wedgwood Benn, who had been a main force behind the referendum, claimed that without it, the anti-Marketeers would continue to contest membership...
...In one ORC survey, only 3 per cent of the total respondents and 9 per cent of the members polled gave unions credit for being most likely to influence their opinion...
...The London Sun, in averaging the findings of all five polling outfits between April 6-May 26, observed that the pro-Market sentiment fluctuated only from 56-61 per cent, and anti-Market sentiment from 27-30 per cent...
...And they have emphasized their intention, despite the referendum's overwhelming passage, to oppose any attempts to form a European Parliament...
...Other possible referenda fared as follows: limiting pay raises by law, 47 per cent...
...On the eve of the balloting the respective figures were 43, 34 and 23 per cent...
...Only 47 per cent replied "very interested," 30 per cent were "not interested at all" (compared with an average response of 70 per cent "strongly interested" during regular elections...
...Meanwhile, among those intending to vote No, 28 per cent were following Enoch Powell, 26 per cent were reacting to Wilson, 16 per cent were going with Benn, and 10 per cent were opposing Heath...
...A similar finding was recorded by the Opinion Research Center (ORC) when it asked the variant question, "How strongly do you feel that Britain should stay in/ leave the Common Market...
...An April 22-27 ORC poll asked, "In making up your mind about Britain's membership in the Common Market, whose opinions did you pay the most attention to...
...Benn has recently stated that the Left wing of the Labor party and the trade unions should lead those who are in favor of Britain leaving the Common Market...
...Instead of using this opportunity to express their views to Parliament, the people seemed to take their cue either from the government, their political party or the individual politicians whom they respect...
...frequently they simply chose to stand against those they disliked...
...What is more, a relatively low percentage even wanted the responsibility...
...While 22 per cent said the government, 30 per cent cited their political party with only 7 per cent answering "friends outside work," and 4 per cent naming "colleagues at work...
...and bringing in more nationalization, 30 per cent...
...For even though the EEC decision had significant economic and political ramifications, less than half the public felt very strongly one way or the other during the April-to-June campaign...
...In a number of NOP surveys conducted prior to the government's official call in March for a Yes vote, among those questioned who were informed that the government opposed membership, pro-Market responses totaled a meager 0.2 per cent...
...And a week before the vote, London Times columnist Bernard Levin could revel in the success of the effort to link the anti-Market cause with the most Left-wing Labor leaders: "Already it seems hardly possible to switch on the television or radio without hearing No being espoused by Mr...
...The Opinion Research Center also investigated feelings toward the referendum procedure itself...
...Of those intending to vote Yes, 28 per cent cited the positive pull of former Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath, 25 per cent Wilson, 14 per cent the new Conservative leader, Margaret Thatcher...
...Foot or Lady Castle or Mr...
...While accepting that Britain will remain in the Market, at least for the moment, they are insisting that the vote was not a mandate for the government to push through economic and political unity within the Community...
...In April, Gallup showed 57 per cent to be pro-Market and 31 per cent to be anti-Market, with 12 per cent undecided...
...The second subject that a majority-55 per cent-was eager to have the chance to express itself about was pulling troops out of Northern Ireland (49 per cent said they would be in favor...
...On the contrary, the findings of the polling organizations borne out by the results of the Market vote suggest that essentially the people follow the advice of their favorite politicians...
...Of the anti-Market ministers listed, Barbara Castle finished highest, in sixth place with a rating of +31 (as compared with +67 for Prime Minister Harold Wilson and +46 for James Callaghan, both pro-Market advocates...
...Of the respondents, 46 per cent concurred that "Those who have to take decisions should make up their own minds and get on with the job...
...The two polling organizations, along with three others that dealt with the referendum-Harris, Maraplan and National Opinion Polls (NOP)-also noted that voting preferences remained strikingly constant throughout the campaign...
...In early April, 45 per cent indicated "very strongly," 32 per cent "fairly strongly" and 10 per cent "not strongly at all...
...But as matters stand, the reaction of the anti-Marketeers in the immediate aftermath of their loss leads one to suspect that the relationship of Britain to the EEC is far from settled...
...the figures were 44, 31 and 12 per cent...
...One facet of the ORC findings has shown up on other studies and is certainly disturbing: Few people felt that as citizens they had much say in government-only 16 per cent agreed with the statement, "The ordinary man or woman has an important influence in the big decisions...
...controlling abortion more strictly, 38 per cent...
...among those told the government favored membership, the figure rose to 18 per cent...
...On the whole, electors were split fairly equally over whether they preferred Parliament making decisions on its own, but on just a few of the issues submitted to them was there considerable desire for another plebiscite...
...Indeed, confident that their opponents were perceived by the general electorate as being irresponsible elements of the extreme Right or, more often, the extreme Left, pro-Market spokesmen spent a good deal of time urging citizens to consider who they would be aligning themselves with if they opted out...
...Anti-Marketeers contended domestic manufacturing would suffer, reducing job opportunities...
...The central issue dividing the opposing camps was the effect of EEC membership on Britain's ability to control its own economy and institute measures like state aid to industries and nationalization...
...Clive Jenkins, or to open a paper without reading their words to the same effect...
...11 per cent named Benn's opposition as cause enough to vote in favor...
...a smaller 43 per cent seconded what might have been expected to be the overwhelmingly popular position, "Those who have to take decisions should be influenced above all by what the ordinary person thinks...
...But if the government's stand turned the tide, the championing of the Market by nearly all of Britain's most respected and respectable political personalities produced the overwhelmingly favorable final tally...
...anti-Marketeers claimed prices would rise...
...Eliciting the most support was the question of restoring hanging as punishment for murder, with 69 per cent indicating they would like to see it put to a vote (60 per cent said they would be in favor, 4 per cent against...
...The referendum would allow the people to speak directly on an issue...
Vol. 58 • July 1975 • No. 14
