EU referendum overrides political homogeneity

Homogeneous is a curious word for Europe at this point of time in history. Ethnically the most homogeneous continent in the world, according to a landmark study by the Harvard Institute of Economic Research in 2002, is faced with a situation which may change the tone and tenor of future politics in Europe. The economic cooperation – then known as the Common Market following the Treaty of Rome – initiated about six decades ago as a harbinger of peace, reconstruction and prosperity in the years following the Great Wars is now the subject of a heated war of words both within Britain and across Europe.

Jeremy Corbyn voted to opt out of Europe in 1975

The referendum on whether Britain should or should not be part of the European Union (EU) has divided the island nation like never before in the immediate past, and has exhibited signs of a tumult in the conceptualisation of political homogeneity.

The hard-line left within the Labour Party, like Michael Foot and Tony Benn, may have staunchly opposed Britain’s integration with what was then called the European Community during the earlier referendum in 1975. But their present day political descendants like the Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell are campaigning vigorously so that Britain remains within the EU. The Foots and the Bens may have apprehended that the economic integration was a ‘capitalist ploy’ to keep the real wage low, but the incumbent Labour group supporting the ‘Remain Campaign, were brandishing their opponents as a “bunch of snooty Eurosceptics” who were out to compromise on job losses leading to further hardship for the working class Britons.

Interestingly, during the 1975 referendum, as a local councillor in the London Borough of Haringey, Corbyn voted 'No' to Britain's membership of the European Community. Britain, however, voted 67 to 33 to stay in. In fact, Corbyn was first elected to the House of Commons in 1983, the year Labour leader Michael Foot was defeated with a radically left-wing manifesto that included a pledge to withdraw Britain from the European Economic Community, which later became to be called the EU. Though the Labour's leadership then embraced the EU, Corbyn in 1993 voted against ratifying the Maastricht Treaty that laid the groundwork for the modern European Union.

When it comes to the Conservatives, on any day and on any issue Prime Minister David Cameron is considered to be much more centre of right than his controversial predecessor Margaret Thatcher. Those who are aware of the developments surrounding the ‘UK Rebate’ - a financial mechanism which reduces the UK's contribution to the EU budget and is in effect since 1985 - as extracted from the union by Thatcher in the 1980s, know that the ‘Iron Lady’ of British politics was more keen on negotiations to leverage benefits for Britain than an outright exit. After all, Thatcher’s political philosophy revolved around balancing the books and taking stock of her political profit and loss when it came to clinching deals and inking agreements.

Cameron may be a different brand of Tory politician as compared to Thatcher, propagating ‘compassionate Capitalism’ as against the ruthlessness of the Iron Lady, and yet he chose a similar path of negotiation, and thereby clinch a deal favourable to Britain, rather than proposing an exit from the union.    

Politics they say make strange bedfellows. It’s also true that politics makes the best of friends into worse adversaries. Nothing can be nearer to truth of this than what’s being witnessed in contemporary British politics. The party is literally in the midst of a civil war with the ‘Remain Camp’ involved in a slanging match with the ‘Leave Camp’, similar to what was witnessed by the Labour Party when its Prime Minister Harold Wilson held a referendum in 1975 on whether the UK should be or not in what was then termed as the European Community. Apart from Prime Minister Wilson the likes of Roy Jenkins and David Owen favoured Britain remaining within Europe, but it was strongly opposed by the hard-line left leaders Michael Foot and Tony Benn.

Debate on Europe divides Etonian pals 

The wedge of divide is equally pronounced within the Conservative Party this time round. Some of Prime Minister Cameron’s trusted lieutenants in government and in the party are up in arms when it concerns Britain’s position in Europe. Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor Michael Gove is one of the leading figures in the ‘Leave Campaign’, but only recently as the Education Secretary he was in-charge of putting in place the prime minister’s education agenda, the biggest of all being the exam and curriculum reforms to elevate Britain’s position among the developed countries on the various aspects of school education.

Another heavyweight in the ‘Leave Campaign’, Preeti Patel was handpicked by Cameron to don the mantle as the Minister of State for Employment and also provided her with the special privilege to seat around the cabinet table. The elevation of the minister born to a Ugandan-Indian migrant family assumes significance for a plethora of issues plaguing the British economy, including the controversy surrounding the zero-hour contracts which in effect is one of reasons behind showing lower unemployment figures despite a rise in part-time jobs and underemployment; the high youth unemployment figures and in the backdrop of the call for British jobs for the British people being one of the main planks of the hard-line Eurosceptics. Patel is also seen as a go between Cameron and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. These, however, didn’t stop Patel from shifting to the opposite camp of the British prime minister.

A fellow Etonian, Cameron and former London Mayor Boris Johnson are on the same page on a number of issues ranging from politics to governance. Despite having their fair share of differences, the two are thought to have a good rapport and they also share a few jokes. Johnson is now accusing the prime minister of scare-mongering on a possible ‘Brexit’, the slick name provided to Britain’s exit from the EU, and on his part Cameron is alleging ‘rabble rousing’ by the ‘Leave Campaign’ of which the former London Mayor is a leading light.    

When the Common Market – a predecessor of the modern EU – emerged in 1957, Britain then the largest economy in Western Europe was least interested to join force. Following a couple of unsuccessful attempts, Britain finally made it in 1973. But Britain’s relationship with the EU or its earlier forms were never beyond scepticism and doubt. The wedge has been further widened by the bitter campaign ahead of this referendum. Notwithstanding Europe’s homogeneity, the relationship between the EU and the UK will not be free from trust deficit and tribulations, even if the British people vote for Britain to remain within the EU.

Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay is a journalist and media consultant. 
He can be contacted at tirthankarb@hotmail.com 
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