Brexit | Eurosceptics during Britain’s Membership of the EU

Brexit Quiz - Eurosceptics (Questions)

As the European Economic Community morphed into the European Union, and its member states moved closer together, Britain's membership was called into question by an ever-increasing group of Eurosceptics. The path to Brexit was starting to emerge as new political parties were formed with one aim - to get the UK out of the EU.

At first, these new parties enjoyed little success, but with EU policies like the Maastrict Treaty, a single currency and the Lisbon Treaty, their support was on the rise. UKIP came second in the 2009 European Elections, and first 5 years later. Politicians started to take notice and the Conservative Party decided to take action.

The situation came to a head in the 2015 General Election, when David Cameron promised an ‘In/Out’ referendum. He never thought the vote would take place, and even if it did, surely Remain would win. It was a gamble the PM was prepared to take.

The EEC was replaced by the European Union on February 7^th, 1992 when a treaty was signed in which city?

[ ]	Paris
[ ]	London
[ ]	Rome
[ ]	Maastricht

The Referendum Party stood in the 1997 General Election in protest against the EU. How many MPs did it have elected?

[ ]	None
[ ]	Ten
[ ]	Twenty
[ ]	Thirty

The Treaty of Lisbon created the first permanent President of the European Council in 2009. Which former UK Prime Minister was touted for the role?

[ ]	Gordon Brown
[ ]	Tony Blair
[ ]	John Major
[ ]	Margaret Thatcher

After the dissolution of the Referendum Party in 1997, another Eurosceptic party started to gain support. What was its name?

[ ]	The Brexit Party
[ ]	The British National Party
[ ]	The UK Independence Party
[ ]	The English Defence League

Following their defeat in the 2001 General Election, the Conservative Party chose a new Eurosceptic leader. What was his name?

[ ]	David Cameron
[ ]	Sajid Javid
[ ]	Iain Duncan Smith
[ ]	Dominic Raab

In the 2004 European Elections, UKIP received 16% of the vote. What position did they finish in?

[ ]	They came first
[ ]	They came third
[ ]	They came fifth
[ ]	They came seventh

UKIP continued to gain support. In the 2009 European Elections they came second. Which party won?

[ ]	The Monster Raving Loony Party
[ ]	The Green Party
[ ]	The Liberal Democrats
[ ]	The Conservative Party

When David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010, he was determined to end his party’s division over Europe. What did he say he didn’t want his party to do?

[ ]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Bang on about Europe”
[ ]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Natter too long about Europe”
[ ]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Gossip about Europe”
[ ]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Confabulate about Europe”

UKIP came first in the 2014 European Parliament Elections. What percentage of the vote did they get?

[ ]	16.6% of the vote
[ ]	26.6% of the vote
[ ]	36.6% of the vote
[ ]	46.6% of the vote

10.

Before the 2015 General Election, David Cameron promised an ‘In/Out’ referendum if he was elected with a majority. He thought he would never have to fulfil his promise – why?

[ ]	He thought that Parliament would block his plans for a referendum
[ ]	He hoped people would have forgotten his promise by the time of an election
[ ]	He believed he had no chance of winning an overall majority
[ ]	He believed that the UK's constitution prevented him from calling a referendum

Brexit Quiz - Eurosceptics (Answers)

The EEC was replaced by the European Union on February 7^th, 1992 when a treaty was signed in which city?

[ ]	Paris
[ ]	London
[ ]	Rome
[x]	Maastricht

The Maastricht Treaty further allied member states. Even at this early stage, the UK’s Conservative Government under John Major was plagued by rebel MPs who refused to support the Prime Minister

The Referendum Party stood in the 1997 General Election in protest against the EU. How many MPs did it have elected?

[x]	None
[ ]	Ten
[ ]	Twenty
[ ]	Thirty

The Referendum Party stood candidates in 547 of the 659 constituencies up for grabs, but failed to win a single seat. It was disbanded soon afterwards

The Treaty of Lisbon created the first permanent President of the European Council in 2009. Which former UK Prime Minister was touted for the role?

[ ]	Gordon Brown
[x]	Tony Blair
[ ]	John Major
[ ]	Margaret Thatcher

Blair was one of the favourites for the post. However, he faced opposition because the UK was not a member of the Eurozone. Instead, Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was elected as the first full-time President of the European Council

After the dissolution of the Referendum Party in 1997, another Eurosceptic party started to gain support. What was its name?

[ ]	The Brexit Party
[ ]	The British National Party
[x]	The UK Independence Party
[ ]	The English Defence League

UKIP was founded in 1993 by history professor, Alan Sked. Sked was ousted in 1997 and replaced by Nigel Farage, after which he claimed that the party had been “infiltrated by racist and far-right elements”

Following their defeat in the 2001 General Election, the Conservative Party chose a new Eurosceptic leader. What was his name?

[ ]	David Cameron
[ ]	Sajid Javid
[x]	Iain Duncan Smith
[ ]	Dominic Raab

Smith’s main rival for the role was former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke. Clarke won the backing of Conservative MPs but his strong support for the European Union cost him votes amongst Conservative Party members

In the 2004 European Elections, UKIP received 16% of the vote. What position did they finish in?

[ ]	They came first
[x]	They came third
[ ]	They came fifth
[ ]	They came seventh

UKIP came joint third and got exactly the same number of MEPs as the Liberal Democrats. Their popularity was clearly on the rise

UKIP continued to gain support. In the 2009 European Elections they came second. Which party won?

[ ]	The Monster Raving Loony Party
[ ]	The Green Party
[ ]	The Liberal Democrats
[x]	The Conservative Party

The Labour Party, which had been in power for 12 years, came third. It was the first time in British history that a government had been beaten in a national election by a party with no MPs. Politicians were now starting to take serious notice of the Eurosceptics

When David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010, he was determined to end his party’s division over Europe. What did he say he didn’t want his party to do?

[x]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Bang on about Europe”
[ ]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Natter too long about Europe”
[ ]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Gossip about Europe”
[ ]	He didn’t want the Conservatives to “Confabulate about Europe”

He hoped his coalition with the Liberal Democrats would be enough to quiet the Eurosceptics in his own party – he was to be disappointed

UKIP came first in the 2014 European Parliament Elections. What percentage of the vote did they get?

[ ]	16.6% of the vote
[x]	26.6% of the vote
[ ]	36.6% of the vote
[ ]	46.6% of the vote

UKIP got just over a quarter of the votes, with Labour second on 24.4%. It doesn’t seem like an overwhelming majority, yet it was enough to make David Cameron seriously consider a second referendum on the UK's EU membership

10.

Before the 2015 General Election, David Cameron promised an ‘In/Out’ referendum if he was elected with a majority. He thought he would never have to fulfil his promise – why?

[ ]	He thought that Parliament would block his plans for a referendum
[ ]	He hoped people would have forgotten his promise by the time of an election
[x]	He believed he had no chance of winning an overall majority
[ ]	He believed that the UK's constitution prevented him from calling a referendum

His coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, were opposed to a referendum, as were the Labour Party. Polls suggested that the election would result in another hung parliament so Cameron thought his promise was a gamble worth taking - in the end, it spelled his demise