With regard to post #48, this comment cannot be completely correct.
The UK had applied to join the European Economic Community in the 1960s but kept getting knocked back by President de Gaulle because he felt that the UK was too close politically to the USA and he did not want the further spread of American imperialism in Europe through the back door of British membership of the EEC.
The Conservative Party manifesto for the 1970 General Election stated that the Conservatives would seek negotiations for the UK’s entry into the EEC.
The Labour Party manifesto for the 1970 General Election also made reference to the Labour Party negotiating for the UK’s entry into the EEC.
The Liberal Party manifesto for the 1970 General Election also wanted EEC membership for the UK.
The Conservatives won the election. The subsequent decision to join the EEC was made in the UK Parliament and not in a referendum.
As all three main political parties were in favour of joining the EEC if suitable terms could be negotiated, the electorate were effectively denied any opportunity of voting against EEC membership in the 1970 General Election. It also meant that for any voter for whom joining the EEC membership was the only issue on which he or she wished to vote in that General Election, there were three main political parties all saying similar things about the EEC.
http://www.conservativemanifesto.com...anifesto.shtml
http://www.politicsresources.net/are...ab70.htm#world
http://www.libdemmanifesto.com/1970/...anifesto.shtml
The 1975 referendum took place after the UK had joined the EEC and asked voters whether or not they wished to remain within the EEC. When the referendum was announced, around one third of the electorate were in favour of membership and around two thirds against. By the time the referendum had taken place, the views of the electorate had flipped with around one third of the electorate against membership and around two thirds for membership.
There never was any landslide vote for joining the EEC because there never was any specific vote to join the EEC. The only vote that took place was about remaining within the EEC once the UK had already joined. And that was a landslide vote in favour.
Going off at a tangent, the UK economy was not doing so well before the UK joined the European Economic Community. The loss of the British Empire in the post World War 2 period as the colonies gained their independence meant that UK businesses lost their overseas protected markets and had to fight on more of a level playing field in international markets. They were not up to the job for three main reasons – lack of investment, poor quality management, and poor industrial relations. The economic reason for applying to join the EEC (in an age where customs taxes on imports around the world was generally higher than today) was so that the UK could have customs free access to the EEC market which would make it easier to sell our goods and services there. However, what happened in the 1970s immediately after joining the EEC was that continental companies in the EEC with better track records on investment, better quality management and better industrial relations were able to make significant inroads into the UK domestic market at the expense of UK manufacturers.