Tuesday 9th August 2011
UNCOMFORTABLE READING FOR THE PM IN YOUGOV POLL - EU REFERENDUM IN SIGHT AS 100,000 DEMAND A SAY
The Campaign for a Referendum on Britain's EU membership is given a double boost today.
A petition demanding a straight "in or out" vote has now attracted more than 100,000 signatures - which should be enough to force a Commons debate.
The breakthrough is bolstered by a new YouGov poll which reveals a clear majority want ordinary people to have the fInal say on whether we pull out.
For the first time the YouGov poll shows a majority of people would actually vote to leave the European Union in an referendum.
The mountain of signatures has been collected in a cross-party campaign led by West Midlands MEP Nikki Sinclaire.
The poll results will make veryuncomfortable reading for David Cameron as a vast majority of Tory voters back a referendum and withdrawel from the EU.
Mr Cameron has pledged to dedicate House of Commons time to any issue which has the support of at least 100,000 people.
While he insists the names must be collected on individually entered electronic petitions, the Commons Leader's office has indicated that a traditional pen-and-ink petition could be lodged with the backbench business committee if it has one or more MPs sponsoring it.
Nikki will tell a London Press conference today: "This is an encouraging development and raises the prospect of an early debate on our continued membership of the EU - Almost eight in ten people want a national debate on the pros and cons of EU membership"
"To insist that only an online petition will count would disenfranchise millions of people, particularly the poor and elderly, who do not have an email account or access to a computer.
"The huge response to our campaign, together with the findings of our poll, show that most people want their say."
Today's poll shows overwhelming support for letting the public decide our future in the EU - and if they got their way they would vote to pull out.
Some 60% of voters want a referendum on whether Britain should remain a member of the EU, according to the YouGov survey commissioned by Nikki's campaign.
If there was a vote, a massive 52% would vote to leave, with only 30% preferring to stay in and 15% undecided and 4% not bothering to vote.
Nikki, an independent MEP, added: "Clearly the people of Britain want to decide who governs Britain. It must be alarming to the government that despite all their assurances on sovereignty and cast iron promises, more and more people have given up on this European project. This argument has gone on far too long, we must decide our course once and for all in a binding referendum"
MPs are already facing demands to debate bring back hanging after 100,000 backed the move in an e-petition.
But Nikki points out that Britain is powerless to restore the death penalty while still in the EU because it would breach the UK's membership conditions by breaching the EU's Fundemental Charter on human rights.
She believes we get the worst of both worlds while inside the EU but outside the eurozone.
"We have one foot in and one foot outside it," she said. "This is detrimental to our interests and to those of the EU, both politically and economically. We need to take a decision as to where our future lies.
"Despite numerous promises, nobody under the age of 54 has ever had a say on Britain's relationship with the EU. This issue needs to be resolved."
EU membership costs Britain £48 million a day - or £4,912 per household over the last 11 years.
But we have signed away power to decide our own future, with 75 per cent of British regulation coming from EU law.
Mike Nattrass MEP and Trevor Colman MEP have also played a significant part in the Campaign for a Referendums success as well as numerous MP's from across the political spectrum
Nikki also pays tribute to the hundreds of people across the country who have helped collate the petition including one gentleman in Dorset who has collected 2,000 signatures. Nikki said "I'm overwhelmed by the level of support and the dedication of these people who truly are an inspiration."
Ends
Note to Editors.
The Campaign has collected in excess of 70,000 signatures on paper and in excess of 30,000 online at www.haveyoursay.eu
The paper petition forms will be at the press conference
According to the Office of National Statstics report in 2010 9.2 million people have never accessed the internet.
Press conference and broadcast facility a Europe House, Smith Square, London On Tuesday 9th August 2011 at 11.15am
Supporting MP's and MEPs include
Kate Hoey MP Labour
Richard Shepherd MP Conservative
Austin Mithchell MP Labour
Philip Davies MP Conservative
Kelvin Hopkins MP Labour
Rt. Hon. Nigel Dodds MP Dem' Unionist
Mike Nattrass MEP UKIP
Rodger Godsiff MP Labour
Phillip Hollobone MP Conservative
Trevor Colman MEP UKIP
Graham Stringer MP Labour
and others
Nikki also pays tribute to the hundreds of people across the country who have helped collate the petition including one gentleman in Dorset who has collected 2,000 signatures. Nikki said "I'm overwhelmed by the level of support and the dedication of these people who truly are an inspiration."
Ends
Note to Editors.
The Campaign has collected in excess of 70,000 signatures on paper and in excess of 30,000 online at www.haveyoursay.eu
The paper petition forms will be at the press conference
According to the Office of National Statstics report in 2010 9.2 million people have never accessed the internet.
Press conference and broadcast facility a Europe House, Smith Square, London On Tuesday 9th August 2011 at 11.15am
Supporting MP's and MEPs include
Kate Hoey MP Labour
Richard Shepherd MP Conservative
Austin Mithchell MP Labour
Philip Davies MP Conservative
Kelvin Hopkins MP Labour
Rt. Hon. Nigel Dodds MP Dem' Unionist
Mike Nattrass MEP UKIP
Rodger Godsiff MP Labour
Phillip Hollobone MP Conservative
Trevor Colman MEP UKIP
Graham Stringer MP Labour
and others
