They all pledged to hold a referendum. In 2014 UK Independence Party won the most votes in the European Parliamentary elections, sweeping away their far more established competitors. IMO this was the catalyst for the chaos that ensued.
I’m not sure that is fully correct. I recall that an EU referendum was in the Conservative manifesto but not a commitment from any other party. It is true that in passing the bill that would establish the referendum that Labour and Liberal abstained. But that is not quite the same as pledging to hold a referendum. And I’d be pretty sure that other parties such as SNP were set against a referendum at all times.
It is true, however, that the 2014 elections showed that UKIP was a major single issue campaigning party that would hurt the Conservatives in future UK elections.
This is what David Cameron claimed about having a Referendum on the EU:
“every party was under pressure on this issue… every single political party in Britain fought an election between 2005 and 2015 with a pledge to hold a referendum: the Labour party did, the Liberal Democrats did, the Greens did, UKIP of course did, we did."
The BBC fact-checked that claim and decided it’s true, the different parties did make some Referendum pledges regarding the EU at different times during that decade, but the difference between them and the Tory Party was that they did not all pledge to hold an In/Out Referendum within a set timescale.
Some Referendum pledges were linked to if there was to be any future changes, such as joining the euro currency or transferring more powers to EU.
It’s all water under the bridge now, though - the stuff of political history lessons - we can’t turn the clock back, so we may as well try to move forward and get on with it.
Who said what to whom is not relevant now surely?
We are out of eurofilth - that is what matters.
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Very eloquently put.
None of that history matters a jot !!
The fact is, we had a referendum !!
The people voted !!
They voted out ??
The only question should be ’ are we a democracy, or not’ ??
While we are raking over old coals, I found this summary of the voting make up of the referendum interesting. To me, it shows that the split of vote cut across age, wealth and education lines - in a way that will leave division in the UK for years to come.
(I’ve added comments in brackets to clarify that these stats should not be over interpreted.)
18-24: 75% Remain, 25% Leave (60% turnout)
25-34: 60% Remain, 40% Leave (66% turnout)
35-44: 55% Remain, 45% Leave (71% turnout)
45-54: 44% Remain, 56% Leave (73% turnout)
55-64: 39% Remain, 61% Leave (79% turnout)
65-74: 34% Remain, 66% Leave (82% turnout)
75+: 37% Remain, 63% Leave (73% turnout)
The older you are the more likely you were to vote leave. (Which does not mean no old people voted remain and no young people voted leave.)
AB: 59% Remain, 41% Leave (79% turnout)
C1: 52% Remain, 48% Leave (75% turnout)
C2: 38% Remain, 62% Leave (70% turnout)
DE: 36% Remain, 64% Leave (65% turnout)
The poorer you are, the more likely you were to vote leave. (Which does not mean that poor people all voted leave, etc.)
By Educational Level:
Degree or higher: 68% Remain, 32% Leave (78% turnout)
Qualifications below degree: 44% Remain, 56% Leave (71% turnout)
No qualifications: 30% Remain, 70% Leave (71% turnout)
The less educated you are, the more likely you were to vote leave. (Formal education is not, of course, necessarily the same as being informed, or bright, or insightful.)