Market questions
From Miss B. Reid Sir: To quote what Winston Churchill (the lesser) said in the Commons a few weeks ago — "a referendum on the EEC would strike at the very heart of parliamentary democracy." Unfortunately it would apppear that others share his view.
If, during the 1970 General Election campaign, the Conservative Party had said that, if elected, it would take Britain into the EEC regardless and had won the election on this basis then of course Mr Churchill would be undeniably correct. But the facts are that the 1970 Tory manifesto — which a reliable source informs me won .Bloggs Books Fiction Award for that year — said that "our sole aim is to negotiate" and this, coupled with the fact that Mr Heath told us that entry should only take place with the full consent of Parliament and the people, led me — foolish trusting little voter that I was — to believe that after negotiations had been completed we would somehow be given another chance to say yes or no. We weren't, and although Mr Heath will argue himself an appropriate shade of blue in the face to the country, the Parliament that shoved us into the EEC had absolutely no mandate to do so, and 1 feel that it is this just as much as the actual concept of the EEC which has caused so much anti-EEC feeling in this country.
Despite what all that may suggest I could still be open to persuasion on the EEC (is there a pro-Market Enoch Powell in the House?), but what if I should ever develop an aversion to the EEC to equal my current aversion to Socialism — an aversion which is such that I know I could never bring myself to vote Labour — and what if the choice on the EEC is given to us not in a referendum but in a General Election — which as we all know is just the sort of thing sneaky Harold is capable of — and what if the Tory Party doesn't 'change its tune, would Mr Churchill please tell me what I am democratically meant to do? Perhaps at the same time he could tell me why the party which traditionally stands for patriotism, democracy and freedom of choice and the only party in which I have ever had any faith has let me down so miserably on this issue.
I fear that if the above situation should arise there are more than enough Tories not so averse to Socialism as I am who will show the Tory Party exactly how democracy works.
Barbara Reid 9 Church Road, Osterley, Middlesex
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