European Assembly election, 1979 (UK)
Encyclopedia
The European Assembly Election, 1979, was the first European election to be held in the United Kingdom
after the European Community (EC) decided to directly elect representatives to the European Parliament
. It was held on 7 June. Elections were also held in eight other EC states. European elections were incorporated into UK law by the European Assembly Elections Act 1978. Out of the 410 members of the European Parliament, 81 were elected from the UK. The electoral system was First Past the Post in England
, Scotland
and Wales
(electing 78 MEPs in total) and Single Transferable Vote
in Northern Ireland
(electing 3 MEPs).
The result was a landslide victory for the Conservative Party
, which won 60 of the 78 seats available in England, Wales and Scotland. Their decisive victory in the general election
of the previous month and divisions within the Labour party
on whether to stay in the EC probably helped the Conservatives to such a comprehensive victory. There was a very low turnout in the election compared with other states, the lowest in Europe. Voter apathy was an explanation, but it is likely the large number of elections in 1979 had a significant negative effect on turnout. There were referendum
s in Scotland and Wales on devolution
in March and the general election in May
, as well as local elections in England (not including London
) and Wales.
Note: percentages are approximate
Total votes cast - 12,873,852.
Total votes cast - 572,239.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after the European Community (EC) decided to directly elect representatives to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. It was held on 7 June. Elections were also held in eight other EC states. European elections were incorporated into UK law by the European Assembly Elections Act 1978. Out of the 410 members of the European Parliament, 81 were elected from the UK. The electoral system was First Past the Post in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(electing 78 MEPs in total) and Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
(electing 3 MEPs).
The result was a landslide victory for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, which won 60 of the 78 seats available in England, Wales and Scotland. Their decisive victory in the general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
of the previous month and divisions within the Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
on whether to stay in the EC probably helped the Conservatives to such a comprehensive victory. There was a very low turnout in the election compared with other states, the lowest in Europe. Voter apathy was an explanation, but it is likely the large number of elections in 1979 had a significant negative effect on turnout. There were referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s in Scotland and Wales on devolution
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
in March and the general election in May
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, as well as local elections in England (not including London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and Wales.
- Overall (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) turnoutVoter turnoutVoter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
: 32.7% (EC average: 63%) - Overall votes cast: 13,460,091
England, Scotland and Wales
Source: UK Office of the European ParliamentNote: percentages are approximate
| Party | Votes | Seats | Share of Vote (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,508,492 | 60 | 51 | ||
| 4,253,247 | 17 | 33 | ||
| 1,690,638 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 247,836 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 83,399 | 0 | 1 | ||
| United Against the Common Market | 27,506 | 0 | 0 | |
| 23,539 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17,953 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10,205 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4,804 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independent Democratic | 2,473 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,635 | 0 | 0 | ||
| EFP | 497 | 0 | 0 | |
Total votes cast - 12,873,852.
Northern Ireland
Source Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive| Party | Candidate(s) | Seats | First Preference Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % of vote | ||||
| Ian Paisley Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding... |
1 | 170,688 | 29.8 | ||
| John Hume John Hume John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble.... |
1 | 140,622 | 25.5 | ||
| John Taylor John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney John David Taylor, Baron Kilclooney, PC , is a former Ulster Unionist Party MP and a life peer. He was deputy leader of the UUP from 1995 to 2001, and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.-Career and family:... , Harry West Harry West Henry William West was a politician in Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1974 until 1979.West was born in County Fermanagh and educated at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen... |
1 | 125,169 | 21.9 | ||
| Oliver Napier Oliver Napier Sir Oliver Napier was the first leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. In 1974 he served as the first and only Legal Minister and head of the Office of Legal Reform in the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive set up by the Sunningdale Agreement.-Early life:Napier was educated at St... |
0 | 39,026 | 6.8 | ||
| James Kilfedder James Kilfedder Sir James Alexander Kilfedder was a Northern Ireland unionist politician.-Early life:... |
0 | 38,198 | 6.7 | ||
| Bernadette McAliskey | 0 | 33,969 | 5.9 | ||
| United Community | David Bleakley David Bleakley The Right Hon. David Bleakley, OBE is a politician in Northern Ireland.Born in the Strandtown district of Belfast, Bleakley worked as an electrician in the Harland and Wolff dockyards while becoming increasingly active in his trade union. He studied economics at Ruskin College in Oxford, where he... |
0 | 9,383 | 1.6 | |
| United Labour United Labour Party (Northern Ireland) The United Labour Party was a minor political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded by Paddy Devlin in 1978 with the aim of being a broad based Labour formation, as opposed to the Northern Ireland Labour Party, which primarily drew its support from Protestants, and the Social Democratic and... |
Paddy Devlin Paddy Devlin Paddy Devlin was a Northern Irish social democrat and Labour activist, a former Stormont MP, a founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and a member of the 1974 Power Sharing Executive.-Early life:... |
0 | 6,122 | 1.1 | |
| Brian Brennan, Francis Donnelly |
0 | 4,418 | 0.8 | ||
| Eddie Cummings | 0 | 3,712 | 0.6 | ||
| James Murray | 0 | 932 | 0.2 |
Total votes cast - 572,239.
Party Leaders in June 1979
- Conservative - Margaret ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
- Labour - James CallaghanJames CallaghanLeonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
- Liberal - David SteelDavid SteelDavid Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
- SNP - Gordon WilsonGordon Wilson (Scottish politician)Gordon Wilson is a former leader of the Scottish National Party and current leading figure in the campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Scotland...
- DUP - Ian PaisleyIan PaisleyIan Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
- SDLP - John HumeJohn HumeJohn Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
- UUP - Harry WestHarry WestHenry William West was a politician in Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1974 until 1979.West was born in County Fermanagh and educated at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen...
See also
- Elections in the United Kingdom: European elections
- MEPs for the UK 1979 - 1984