Contrary to modern alignments, the 1975 "Remain" campaign was a big business, Conservative project, with Margaret Thatcher vocally supporting it and even wearing a jumper decorated with European flags.
The UK economy was in a death spiral with inflation nearing 25%. The government responded with reckless spending (up 35% in one year) and confiscatory taxes (up to 98% on investments), leading to a collapse in business confidence.
Unlike founding members, Britain's bids to join the European Community were born from weakness after the empire's collapse and economic failure. It was seen as the "last card in the deck," creating an ambivalent relationship from the start.
The show's themes of shabby gentility, class obsession, and post-war neuroses mirrored the UK's mid-70s mood of economic decline and social strangulation, making it a rich historical text beyond simple comedy.
Despite winning four elections, by his second premiership in 1974, Wilson was physically and mentally worn down. His weariness, heavy drinking, and listlessness embodied the fatigue and demoralization of the nation he led.
Political secretary Marcia Williams wielded such inexplicable and disruptive power over Prime Minister Harold Wilson that his doctor and other senior aides genuinely considered murdering her to stabilize the government.
The national mood was so pessimistic that even the Foreign Secretary considered leaving. This sentiment was widespread, leading to a "brain drain" where the UK's population declined for the first time on record in 1975, and again in '76 and '77.
Prime Minister Harold Wilson introduced the 1975 European referendum not from democratic conviction but as a "great wheeze." It allowed him to avoid taking a firm stance and prevent the deeply divided Labour Party from splitting apart.
Although polls before and after the 1975 referendum showed Britons were broadly Eurosceptic, they voted 67% to stay in. The context of near-30% inflation made voters risk-averse, choosing the economic status quo over the uncertainty of leaving.
The government gave unions unprecedented power in exchange for wage restraint. However, the policy failed because union leaders, under pressure from members and competing with each other for better deals, couldn't uphold their end, fueling hyperinflation.
As Industry Secretary, Tony Benn pushed through public funding for worker cooperatives against his advisors' warnings. One bizarre example was a factory intended to produce both car radiators and orange juice; it promptly went bust.