15 Jun 2016

Referendums past and present: EU and AV

EEC referendum 6 June 1975: UK voters backed continued membership of the European Economic Community by a large majority in the country's first nationwide referendum, reported the BBC:
"Just over 67% of voters supported the Labour government's campaign to stay in the EEC, or Common Market, despite several cabinet ministers having come out in favour of British withdrawal."

AV referendum 7 May 2011: UK rejects alternative vote system that would have changed the way MPs are elected - dealing a bitter blow to Nick Clegg on top of heavy Lib Dem poll losses, reported the BBC: some 19m people voted in the second UK-wide referendum in history - a higher than expected turnout of 41%. The final result put the Yes vote at 32% and the No vote at 68%.

Note that the Lib Dems got 6.8m votes in 2010 general election, which would have accounted for 36% of the Yes vote if all of the 2010 LD voters had voted Yes in 2011.

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