‘E.E.C. no answer for U.K.’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33750, 24 January 1975, Page 13

‘E.E.C. no answer for U.K.’

(N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) LONDON, Janury 23. -A key British Labour Government Minister who has called for a “one world” solution of the oil and money crisis, believes that the European Common Market offers no answer to Britain’s difficulties.

The Secretaty of State for Trade (Mr Peter Shore), renewing his campaign for a British withdrawal from the Community, told the Foreign Press Association in London last night: “One of the great errors of our time is the excessive belief in regional solutions, as though continents or half-continents could find adequate solutions to the problems of our time. “No-one who considers the interlock of the world economy today, or, indeed, the history of the world recession in the 19305, can doubt that regional blocks, however massive, are quite inadequate to ensure the pro-

sperity or security of their members.”

Mr Shore is among a strong and vocal section of the Government led by Mr Harold Wilson who favour a revival of British Commonwealth trade, close and continuing European and American co-operation, and the development of EastWest economic ties. He is due to visit Moscow in May to discuss an expansion of British-Soviet trade.

“. . . The problems of financing the huge oil deficit borne by consumer and developing nations are rightly being tackled in the large international organisations,” he said. “The lessons are clear. We are indeed one world, and the need for increased co-operation on a global scale is growing.” Mr Shore’s speech — the latest in a series assailing what he has portrayed as the high cost of Britain’s membership of the Common Market — was made as the high command of the Labour Party was examining the organisation of Britian’s first national referendum on whether the nation should remain in, or leave, the E.E.C.

The party’s General Secretary, Mr Ron Hayward, presented a detailed plan suggesting that the referendum should be held next June. By then, the outcome of the Labour Government’s fundamental efforts to renegotiate Britain’s terms of membership will be known. Mr Hayward proposed a central count of the votes, rather than counts in the country’s 635 electoral districts, which is the system used when General Elections are held. The final published result, he suggested, should simply be an over-all nat-

ional figure of “fors” and “againsts.” The Labour Party fears that a district-by-di strict count might show whole re-

gions, like Scotland, or Wales, or Northern Ireland, totally agairust membership, and other regions in favour. This sort of result, the party thinks, would tend to spur an already-strong trend towards separatism on the part of the Scots and Welsh, whose nationalist movements are campaigning to break away from England. Mr Wilson is due to give details of the referendum plan to the House of Commons today.