A guided democracy
The following appeared in the Daily Telegraph 23 June 2003.
‘Edward Heath created a secret government propaganda unit to persuade the British people to accept the Common Market. Civil servants were engaged in a dirty tricks department of the Foreign Office to cover up the threat to sovereignty and provide rapid rebuttal of anti-Common Market arguments. The European Community Information Unit operated from 1970 to 1972 as Mr Heath negotiated our way into Europe. But when his No 10 files on the topic were released after 30 years, the ECIU’s work was kept secret. A list of 200 files has been quietly released at the National Archives at Kew this month.
They show that staff were drafted in from another secret unit, the Information Research Department …… Their skills were used to soften up the public for huge price rises in basic commodities such as butter.
Sir Con O’Neill, senior diplomat leading the unit, told the team that counter-propaganda, ‘if any legitimate arguments can be found’, was ‘the most important thing we could be doing in connection with Common Market entry’. Officials proposed a health campaign to persuade housewives to buy less butter. A government hospitality fund was used to entice supposedly independent-minded personalities to speak in favour of Europe.
A fact sheet on sovereignty was suppressed rather than admit that Parliament would have to accept European regulations that conflicted with its own statutes. Officials were encouraged to spy on the Labour Party’s plans to oppose the terms of entry and even drafted speeches for pro-European Labour frontbenchers to deliver at their party conference.
The unit was told in September 1970 of its new duties in a five-page memo by Anthony Royle, a Foreign Office minister, after discussions with Geoffrey Rippon, the Europe Minister, and Willie Whitelaw, the Cabinet fixer and Lord President of the Council.
Mr Royle expected the unit to find ‘independent’ people to deluge newspapers with pro-Europe letters and to tour Britain speaking on behalf of the pressure group the British Council of the European Movement. They were to be given a secret list of constituencies whose MPs were anti-marketeers.
Mr Royle wanted close liaison with leading Labour pro-marketeers, but said: ‘I should not do this personally as it might emerge that ministers have been colluding with the Opposition. It is important that the FO is not known to be inspiring, encouraging and helping to educate public opinion, but that the operation appears to be instigated by back-benchers on both sides of the House and by independent outside bodies.’
The unit persuaded Gwyn Morgan, Labour’s assistant general secretary, to reveal Harold Wilson’s campaign plans and to leak a copy of a report on the issue by Labour’s National Executive.’