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FIONA FLOYD WITH POSTERS

A POSTER

DINERS OUTSIDE THE BELLE VUE PUB

ON Thursday we go to the polls to vote on whether Britain will remain in the EU.

Older rewind readers have seen it all before.

On Thursday, June 5, 1975, a similar poll was called by Harold Wilson’s Labour Government.

Wilson had pledged in the party manifesto to give voters the chance to verify or reject our entry, which had taken place under Ted Heath's Conservative administration in 1973.

On the big day we reported: “Polling in Wiltshire on the Common Market referendum got off to a brisk start today with at least one town predicting a record turnout.

“Many Thamesdown voters got off to an early start with some people waiting outside polling stations at 6.30am.

“By lunchtime voters were turning out steadily. But later this afternoon the turnout seemed to be slowing, although some polling stations, like Lawn and Lethbridge, showed fairly high turnouts.

“At the Community Centre in Penhill there were two people on the doorstep at 6.30 this morning, while at Ferndale Road School about half a dozen were waiting for the doors to open.”

The 1975 campaign, like this year’s, featured plenty of posters, leaflets and endorsements of one side or another by politicians.

We illustrated our front page story with a photo of 18-year-old first time voter Fiona Floyd from Park North, and made sure to be even-handed by having her to hold both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ posters.

Fiona declined to tell us her own voting intentions, though.

Every household was issued with two leaflets explaining the pros and cons of membership. In keeping with the colour fashions of the era, one was in dirty brown and mustard yellow, while the other was in mustard yellow and another shade a bit like liver.

Perhaps some of our readers have original copies lurking in cupboards.

By the time the Adver went to print the day after the referendum, early results heralded what would eventually be revealed as a near-70 percent vote in favour of Europe.

“Bonjour Britain,” was our headline, and we ran a photo of drinkers sampling some Continental-style pavement cafe drinking outside the Belle Vue Hotel in Victoria Road, which is now Longs.