March - September 1977
After re-negotiations and parliamentary votes,
the Coalition pushes for separate referendums on Europe and devolution
REFERENDUM ONE - EUROPE: Having campaigned either in opposition to EEC withdrawal or on a pledge for a second referendum on the terms of said withdrawal, the Conservative-Democratic Labour set to the difficult task of charting a course whilst abandoning Tony Benn's hardline negotiation strategy. Despite Heath and Jenkins having similar views, the process was slow, frustrating and filled with controversial incidents - such as the fishing Cod Wars -, but in the end the government secured a number of deals with the European negotiators and leaders, allowing for a second referendum on the Common Market to go through in March 1977.
The Campaigns:
YES / NO: The government has pursued a deal aiming to keep Britain as close to Europe as possible, arguing that free trade via EFTA membership could significantly reduce the economic impact of withdrawal and/or allow Britain to rejoin the Common Market at a later date. The Conservative, Democratic Labour, Liberal and most Northern Irish parties favor a YES vote in favor of a "soft withdrawal". Conversely, Eurosceptics argue the government is a "betrayal" of the original result, and assert that a No vote is necessary to force the coalition into a hard withdrawal with no free trade with the European community. Benn's Labour Party, the SNP, Plaid Cymru and a group of Unionists or right-wingers led by Enoch Powell favor a NO vote to uphold a "hard withdrawal".
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REFERENDUM TWO - SCOTLAND: With Heath having supported limited Scottish devolution and Democratic Labour also favoring devolution, the Coalition - keen to stop the rise of the SNP - spent several months both to craft a devolution proposal and get it through the House of Commons, a difficult task due to the significant amount of anti-devolution rebels in all three main parties. Having used the government majority and Labour and SNP support to ram the bill though Parliament, a referendum for a Scottish Assembly has been set for September 1977.
The Campaigns:
YES / NO: The YES campaign argues in favor of devolution for Scotland, proposing a "Scottish Assembly" (elected via FPTP) and a Scottish First Secretary, with limited tax raising powers and responsibilities on education, heath, police and others. It is officially supported by all four major parties and by most of the SNP (in spite of its criticisms that the Assembly does not have enough powers). The NO campaign warns that devolution puts the union at risk, and that it could empower rather than weaken the Scottish nationalists in their quest for independence. It is unofficially supported by a group of dissident MP's from the main parties, plus the hardline wing of the SNP which considers it insufficient for Scotland.
Two days.
Poll
