A satirical
animated program called Headcases
(based on Spitting Image) was
released in 2008, and one particular scene humorously summed up the Tories’
longstanding anguish over the subject of Europe. At a press conference
involving David Cameron, the question is put to him “how come you never talk
about Europe?” After repeating the word “Europe” with contempt, Cameron dithers
by associating himself with the band known as Europe, before causing a distraction and running off the stage. Tony
Blair, not too long ago, wanted to put Britain “at the heart of Europe”. Now,
the United Kingdom Independence Party is going from strength to strength, and threatens
to overtake the Liberal Democrats in the polls. What went wrong, and is there a
place in the political discourse for pro-Europeans anymore?
As a
moderate pro-European, I’ve gone through two specific motions on the subject;
one is of boredom and monotony, the other is the feeling of isolation (an
ironic use of the word). The monotony stems from the relentless repetition of
Tory backbenchers demanding a referendum on leaving the EU, whilst the feeling
of isolation is because, quite simply, Euroscepticism seems to be in fashion.
Pro-Europeans, be they starry-eyed Europhiles or moderates like myself, feel
marginalised. Steve Richards sums it up well in The Independent: “Here we go again...we are pro-Europe, but
realistic about Europe. We are realistic about Europe, that’s why we are
Eurosceptic. We are Eurosceptic, but want to stay in. We are Eurosceptic and
want to get out”. It’s the “never ending dance”.
When the
doomed House of Lords proposals were being discussed, the ever rebellious
section of backbench Tories were adamant that a dose of pragmatic and sensible
democratic reforms were “not a priority” for the country; the focus should
firmly be placed on growth. How ironic, then, that rather than focusing all out
on a growth strategy now (something which surely can be done hand in hand with
electing the House of Lords), the repeated call from the same rebels is always
for a referendum on leaving the EU. A pro-European contingent on paper, Labour
have played party politics on the subject, be it their vote against the
Maastricht Treaty in 1993, or their siding with the Tory right to vote for a
cut in the EU budget that they had increased in office.
What fuelled
such prominent distaste of Europe? It is strange to think now that Ted Heath’s
pro-Europe Conservative Party in 1973 took Britain into the EEC (European
Economic Community), whilst Margaret Thatcher was part of the ‘yes’ campaign to
stay in the EEC during a referendum on the issue in 1975. Tony Blair,
displaying rare criticism of the Iron Lady, points the blame at Thatcher,
saying that she fuelled anti-European sentiment. Having originally been a
pro-European, Thatcher spoke out against further European integration in the
late 1980s, reinforced by her famous “No! No! No!” outburst. John Major nearly
lost the confidence of the House of Commons in a knife-edge vote on the
Maastricht Treaty in 1993, which paved the way for the European Union and the
creation of the single currency; the Euro. Pro-Europeans in the Conservative
Party such as Michael Heseltine and Kenneth Clarke steadily lost their
influence, and from Major’s election defeat in 1997, the Tories consistently
elected Eurosceptics as their leaders, from William Hague to David Cameron.
What hasn’t
helped the debate have been divisions over the matter Conservative and Labour
Parties, and this seems to indicate the root of the problem. Harold Wilson
reluctantly applied for membership in the 1960s (entry was vetoed by Charles de
Gaulle), and in the referendum campaign of 1975, the incumbent Labour Party
took no official stance on the matter; for every Roy Jenkins in the ‘yes’ camp
there was a Tony Benn voting ‘no’. As Blair implied, Thatcher could have led a
more European agenda, but chose to attack it. On Question Time in 2011, Nigel
Farage made reference to his parents voting ‘yes’ in 1975, for “a common
market”, but he now leads UKIP. Interestingly, being Eurosceptic or
pro-European is not necessarily linked to the political spectrum; take
Heseltine from the Tories being pro-European, and Tony Benn from Labour being
Eurosceptic. With the exception of the Liberal Democrats, no political party
appears to take an unequivocal and official stance one way or the other.
Gordon
Brown’s “five tests” in the early 21st century for changing from the
Pound Sterling to the Euro is the closest we have come to joining the single
currency. At the time, public opinion was less polarised, and “putting Britain
at the heart of Europe” could have been a real possibility. The price for
ardent Euroscepticism from William Hague in 2001 was a crushing electoral
defeat. Despite this, Paddy Ashdown observantly notes in his autobiography that
Britain is now more anti-Europe than it was when Tony Blair came to power in
1997. This sentiment has rapidly progressed since Blair stood down in 2007, yet
politicians still seem timid at the idea of addressing it; remember David
Cameron doing a U-turn (I could stop there) on his “cast-iron guarantee” of a
referendum on the Lisbon Treaty?
In a way, it
is understandable why large swathes of the electorate are Eurosceptic. With
financial woes in Eurozone countries such as Greece and Spain the main focus of
media attention, companies lamenting that they are tied by European ‘rules and
regulations’, and cries from newspapers that EU memberships costs the UK
billions of pounds, who can blame them for being enticed by UKIP? Added to
that, with budgets being squeezed by the Coalition, it’s not surprising that voters
feel angry with EU members calling for a budget increase in the EU for the
period 2014-2020. With the Lib Dems no longer the ‘protest party’, Nigel Farage’s
constant attack on the “political class” seems to strike a chord, with UKIP finishing second in the Rotherham
and Middlesbrough by-elections, pushing the Lib Dems down to 8th in
Rotherham. The Tories are taking notice, and backbench MP Michael Fabricant has
called for an election pact with UKIP.
My main
concern with UKIP and the electorate is that their focus is only on Europe and dissatisfaction
with the “political class”. I am not saying that these are insufficient reasons
to vote for UKIP, but I wonder if many of their new voters are aware of UKIP’s
other policies? On education, they would support grammar schools equally with
state schools, whilst on the economy they would abolish inheritance tax and
bring in a flat tax of 31%. A frequent criticism levelled at the Coalition is
that they are cutting “too far, too fast”, yet UKIP want to reduce the size of
the public sector to “what it was in 1997”. Meanwhile their deputy leader, Paul
Nuttall MEP, favours the return to the death penalty. I am not saying that
every single UKIP voter is ignorant of these facts, indeed these policies are
an attraction to many of them, but if polling groups consistently show a clear
lead for Labour (citing discontent with the Tories being too rightwing), then why
vote for a party that is to the right of the Conservative Party?
I want us to
stay in the EU, because I think it’s good for free trade, and beneficial; I
fear we will become isolated and protectionist if we leave. I’m not starry-eyed
over Europe, and willing to submit to anything that is put forward, but I am
steadfastly against screaming from the sidelines. I feel isolated on the
subject, because whilst Euroscepticism is catching on, no one is speaking up
for the other side of the debate. The Liberal Democrats can’t because no one
will listen to them, now that they are lampooned for being a party of
Government. Deborah Meaden made a very good point on Question Time recently,
saying “let’s have a proper debate”, highlighting the fact that 50% of our
exports go to Europe. She didn’t come out offering a pro-European or a
Eurosceptic position, but said that a debate needs to be had highlighting the
relevant pros and cons, not just piecemeal red tape.
I will be honest and say that I don’t want a
referendum on leaving the EU, because I think that the pro-Europeans would
lose. Polls aren’t the be all and end all, but a recent Guardian poll revealed
that 56% of voters would “probably” or “definitely” vote to leave. With UKIP
progressing, a referendum is likely. That is why it is more important than ever
to have a grown up debate. Public anger is understandable because there is too
much fence sitting from the major parties on the subject (hence Farage’s
appeal), but we need someone to stand up for the pro-European side, and
unashamedly highlight the merits of staying in the EU. The public deserve
clarity on the matter of a referendum, but they also deserve a balanced and
grown up debate from both sides, not childish squabbling.
