People's Pledge
Encyclopedia
The People's Pledge is a political campaign that seeks a referendum in the United Kingdom
on the European Union
. It aims to achieve this by getting voters to sign a pledge
to help secure a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) in Parliament who support an EU referendum
. The 1975 European Communities membership referendum was the last time such a vote had occurred in Britain. Directed by Mark Seddon
and with cross-party support from sitting MPs, it aimed to put particular pressure on marginal seat
s. According to British Labour Party
politician Kelvin Hopkins
: "While those who initiated the People’s Pledge campaign are primarily Eurosceptic
, it has support from those who take a different, pro-EU view, but who wish to see the issue properly resolved by a vote of the British people."
. The 1975 European Communities membership referendum was held after that, following a change in government from the Conservatives
under Edward Heath
who had led the application process, to the minority Labour government of Harold Wilson
, who had made a referendum an election promise. The referendum found 67% to be in favour, on a 65% turnout. Subsequent treaties leading to the development of the European Union were signed into law without recourse to a referendum.
According to the campaign, all three major British political parties withdrew promises of a referendum on the last major European treaty, which proposed the creation of a European Constitution, after it was re-drafted as the Treaty of Lisbon
, and subsequently ratified by the UK
on 19 June 2008 by the Labour Government of Gordon Brown
. The subsequent 2010 general election unusually produced a hung parliament
, leading to a Conservative – Liberal Democrat
coalition government bound by an agreement
that there would be "no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament", and to cover for future terms, proposed the introduction of the European Union Bill 2010
, which sought to "amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that any proposed future treaty that transferred areas of power, or competences, would be subject to a referendum on that treaty". The coalition did not however commit to holding a referendum on the status of the existing membership.
A YouGov
poll held in September 2010 of 1,948 adults in the UK found that if there was a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, 47% would vote to leave, compared to 33% who would want to remain.
on 15 March 2011. The campaign website had been launched two days earlier. The campaign claimed that over 6,000 people had already signed the pledge before the official launch, and 30,000 people had signed by 17 March. Dan Hannan in The Daily Telegraph
claimed that "in the first 5 days more than 42,000 people had signed up via the campaigns website and 3,000 more volunteered to help leaflet".
The People's Pledge were the only campaign listed in the BBC's Timeline: Campaigns for a European Union referendum.
, is the campaign's director, alongside co-founders Christopher Bruni-Lowe, Stuart Coster and Marc-Henri Glendening. It also has a number of MPs and other figures listed as part of an 'Advisory Council'.
Other supporters also listed include:
, Richard Drax
, Andrew Turner
,Edward Leigh
, Jason McCartney
,Gordon Henderson
,Martin Vickers
, Matthew Offord
and Steve Baker
. Conservative MP Mark Reckless
whilst on the BBC Daily Politics discussing his EU bailout motion stated that he backs the campaign and urged others to do so. Reckless also congratulated the campaign during Parliamentary Business Questions for "pressing for a referendum on Europe and the debate on Monday, This comment related to the in/out referendum debate and vote that was being held a few days later.
In that same parliamentary sitting the Conservative MP David Nuttall
asked whether the Government will recompense anyone who planned to attend a lobby of Parliament next Thursday, organised by the People’s Pledge, but have now had to reorganise their travel plans as a result of the rescheduling of Government business?. This comment related to the campaigns holding of a lobby on the original day of the in/out referendum vote. This was subsequently brought forward by a few days.
The Conservative MP Guto Bebb
had signed up to the campaign but subsequently backed out of voting for the referendum motion on the 24th of October.
that "The Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union RMT
has become the first union to formally back the campaign. RMT leader Bob Crow was already an individual supporter." It was announced in the Morning Star
that the Communist Party Executive backed the People's Pledge.
on the issue of Britain's continued membership of the European Union
. It aims to achieve this by making sure that only prospective candidates or sitting MPs standing for election to the House of Commons in the next United Kingdom general election
who promise to support the holding of such a referendum, are elected. Specifically, it asks voters to sign up to a pledge
via the campaign's website to only support such candidates. In addition to showing the total number of signatories, the campaign would also present those figures broken down by constituency. The campaign claimed this breakdown would be particularly effective in swaying the outcome in the 100 most marginal seat
s. In addition, the campaign sought to make available to all who signed the pledge, the voting record of their local MP on European issues. Co-founder Christopher Bruni-Lowe outlined the strategy of the campaign in the Nov edition of Total Politics
magazine in an article titled Putting voters back in charge.
The pledge that voters are urged to sign is worded as follows:
, that the ministers
and parliamentarians
making those laws were not accountable to British voters, that the cost of the EU to the British taxpayer was rising, and that the European Commission
was aiming for further powers of economic governance. Accompanying the launch,
Seddon wrote a piece for the The Daily Telegraph
titled A referendum on Europe is long overdue.
on 4 and 5 May 2011 which was publicized by the Evening Standard
. The campaign was launched to coincide with the referendum on the Alternative Vote and targeted Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
over perceived changes of position over the holding of a referendum
on Britain's membership of the European Union
. The Sheffield Star
reported that an actor dressed as "Cleggy Pollard" (after Vicky Pollard
, a TV show character with the catchphrase "Yeah But, No But") toured Clegg's Sheffield constituency as voters went to the polls. Seddon announced that "the object of the campaign is to highlight the Lib-Dem leader's betrayal of promises, such as student fees and the EU referendum, since he joined the Coalition ... We’re drawing attention to a politician who cannot make up his mind on anything." Dan Hannan, writing in the Daily Telegraph blog, said "at last someone draws attention to Nick Clegg's referendum hypocrisy".
Both the Evening Standard and Sunday Express reported that Seddon had been denied entry into the House of Commons while carrying leaflets with images of Nick Clegg mocked up as Vicky Pollard. On his way to see John Cryer
MP, Seddon had the leaflets confiscated before being allowed entry.
, Brent Central
, Hampstead and Kilburn
, Ealing Central and Acton, Ealing North, Sutton and Cheam
, Streatham
, Watford
, Hammersmith
, Islington South and Finsbury, Kingston and Surbiton, Brentford and Isleworth, Enfield North.
in Westminster, declaring that no further bail-outs of Eurozone countries should take place without holding an EU Referendum. The Labour MP Kate Hoey
who joined the protest said: “Our country needs an EU referendum. People are fed up that we have lost control of our destiny to Brussels.”
. The participants will include MPs, journalists and businessmen. The Independent newspaper claimed that the Congress would be "the largest ever held for a referendum on Europe".
In an article entitled Euroscepticism isn’t just for Tories any more, the journalist Daniel Knowles writing in the Spectator asserts that the Congress could be the event in which the growing private eurosceptic views amongst MPs is manefested. "A particular flash point could come in October, when the People’s Pledge, a campaign group that wants to force an in-or-out referendum on the EU, hosts a rally. Several Labour and Conservative MPs are expected to attend, including some close to the government. David Cameron will be looking on with concern. He knows that nothing makes his party more mutinous than Europe." Dan Hannan writing in the Telegraph urged all supporters of a referendum to attend saying that "this is the single most important issue facing us as a people". He also claimed that despite the best efforts of the campaign, they had so far been unable to get anyone to come and debate not having a referendum. "All three parties oppose an In/Out referendum, but no one will publicly admit the reason".
In the Mail on Sunday entitled "Cameron fears EU referendum revolt as MPs' vote looms", Brendan Carlin states that the congress for an EU referendum is timely given the in/our referendum vote in parliament a few weeks later. "The referendum vote move comes ahead of a major pro-referendum rally next Saturday in London, organised by the cross-party ‘People’s Pledge’ campaign". Dan Hannan reported in the Telegraph that 2,000 people attended the congress.
The campaign were featured on the front page of The Sunday Telegraph on the 23rd of October in a story titled "New euro 'empire' plot by Brussels", mention was made of the congress held on the Saturday. "Tory rebels were among speakers at a “People’s Pledge” pro-referendum rally in Westminster. They included David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, who called the EU a “nascent superstate”.
, Kate Hoey
, David Davis
, Douglas Carswell
, Steve Baker
, Ruth Lea
, Mark Littlewood
, Dan Hannan,, Kelvin Hopkins
, Lembit Opik
, Jenny Jones
, Zac Goldsmith
, Richard Drax
, Brian Denny, Bob Crow
, Patricia McKenna
, Dounne Alexander, Keith Vaz
, Peter Bone
, John Cryer
, Graham Stringer
, Nich Brown
, Priti Patel
, Mark Reckless
, Dominic Raab
, Mike Weatherley
, Tim Montgomerie
, Marta Andreasen
, John Stevens
, Richard Lamming Steve Radford
secured the debate via the Backbench Business Committee
and the vote was announced to be on the 27th of October. To coincide with the vote, the People's Pledge secured the mass lobby of parliament where thousands were expected to attend to lobby their MP. Hours after this was announced the government changed the voting day to 3 days earlier. This was described by Tory MP Peter Bone as unprecedented manipulation of backbench business. The newspapers reported that the change of date was "designed to undermine a mass lobby organised by the People’s Pledge campaign for an EU referendum. The organisation was hoping thousands of supporters would be at Westminster next Thursday". In light of the change of date the Conservative MP David Nuttall
asked whether the Government will recompense anyone who planned to attend a lobby of Parliament next Thursday, organised by the People’s Pledge, but have now had to reorganise their travel plans as a result of the rescheduling of Government business?. In the same parliamentary debate Mark Reckless
congratulated the campaign for "pressing for a referendum on Europe and the debate on Monday, The campaign subsequently re booked the lobby for the day of the vote.
In a letter circulated to all MPs on the day of the vote, the Conservative MP Steve Baker
claimed the public appetite for the vote could be seen with the strength of support in each constituency for the People's Pledge campaign and the number of supporters that attended the Congress for an EU Referendum on Sat 22nd October.
poll commissioned by the campaign ahead of its launch found that, of 2,436 voters, 61% supported the idea of holding a referendum, with 25% opposing.
An opinion poll carried out by YouGov for the campaign showed that 54% would rather have a vote on whether Britain should remain members of the European Union than the 25% who wanted a vote on the Alternative Voting system.
To coincide with the proposed bailout of Portugal the campaign commissioned two further polls. It found that 65% were against Britain’s participation in bailing out Portugal, whilst only 19% were in favour. It also found that 55% say that if we do contribute to the bail out of Portugal then we should have a referendum on our continued membership of the EU. Only 25% were against having a referendum under these circumstances. The poll results were widely reported in various newspapers and were used by Seddon in his comment piece in the Daily Express
on 8 April. and by the economist Ruth Lea
in a thunderer piece in The Times
on the same day.
In a piece for the Evening Standard
entitled Miliband 'can split the Coalition if he backs a poll on EU membership, a poll commissioned by the campaign found that 53 per cent of Labour supporters would back holding an "in-out" referendum. Some 76 per cent of Tory voters and 51 per cent of Lib-Dem supporters would also support a vote. Advisory Council member and former government whip Graham Stringer
said: "If Ed wants a game changer, and we are not doing as well as we should be doing in the opinion polls, but if he wants to put the Conservatives into disarray, if he wants to change the public perception of him as a leader, then we the Labour Party need to say we want to listen to what the people are saying - we want your views on Europe".
told the Daily Express the same day that "It seems to me that we made a decision on Europe in 1975. I think it was the right decision."
A day before the official campaign launch, The Daily Mail featured the campaign in a lead article titled 'Give us a vote on our future in Europe: Cross-party campaign launched to secure historic referendum'. It claimed the campaign "hopes to emulate Barack Obama by harnessing the power of the internet to mobilise support in every constituency".
The campaign launch in Westminster
was accompanied by a front page headline in support of the campaign 'New Hope to Get Out of EU', from the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Express
, who themselves had recently handed in a petition to Number 10 calling for a referendum, under the Express 'Crusade' banner 'Get Britain Out of the EU'.
The day before the official launch, Peter Hoskin writing for the political magazine The Spectator
stated that, while there had been many previous campaigns for such a referendum, it cited the timing of the People's Pledge campaign as slightly more resonant, given the recent positions of the two parties that went on to form the governing coalition in 2010, and that polling suggested 54% of people would prefer to have a referendum on issue of the EU, instead of the 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote brought about as part of the coalition agreement and scheduled for 5 May 2011, the first UK referendum since the 1975 EU membership referendum. Of the campaign's outcome, he stated that "at the very least, it might persuade some candidates to face up to, and meet, the tide of public opinion on Europe.", claiming that public support for leaving the EU had been steadily rising, and even a large number of non-Eurosceptics have wanted such a referendum for some time.
Caroline Crampton writing for Total Politics
said "the campaign has pulled off a major coup by persuading touchy-feely Tory Zac Goldsmith
to lend his support. Goldsmith, a star of the new intake, gives the campaign a way of rebutting the idea that this is a thinly-veiled attempt to put pressure on the government to pull out of the EU. He lends credibility to their claim that this is just about democratic consultation".
Charles Moore
writing in the Spectator said "the real power of this campaign will be seen in the selection of candidates. If constituencies can muster a few thousand Pledger's, anyone wishing to be an MP next time round will be wise to favour a referendum whether he or she wants in or out".
In his weekly column, Trevor Kavanagh
of The Sun called the People's Pledge "the first serious, credible and accelerating campaign for a proper referendum since 1975", going on to say it was backed not only by traditional Eurosceptics but also by "major firms alarmed by soaring costs and dubious benefits". Chief political commentator at the Daily Express
Patrick O'Flynn subsequently reported on the "rattling" effect the campaign was having on MPs less than a week after launching.
On 9 May 2011 the campaign was featured on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week
program hosted by Andrew Marr
. In a discussion with Denis MacShane
, Ruth Lea
noted that the People's Pledge campaign had a real chance of succeeding where others have failed before given the current political atmospherics and that it is "genuinely cross party and led from the left".
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...
on the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. It aims to achieve this by getting voters to sign a pledge
Pledge
-Promises:* A promise similar to an oath* A promise to donate funds, as in a pledge drive* Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a promise by politicians to oppose tax increases** The Pledge , a similar promise first used in New Hampshire...
to help secure a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) in Parliament who support an EU 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...
. The 1975 European Communities membership referendum was the last time such a vote had occurred in Britain. Directed by Mark Seddon
Mark Seddon
-Education:Seddon was educated at Dauntsey's School, an independent school , in the village of West Lavingdon in Wiltshire.-Life and career:...
and with cross-party support from sitting MPs, it aimed to put particular pressure on marginal seat
Marginal seat
A marginal seat, or swing seat, is a constituency held with a particularly small majority in a legislative election, generally conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat....
s. According to British 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...
politician Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Peter Hopkins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton North since 1997.-Background:...
: "While those who initiated the People’s Pledge campaign are primarily Eurosceptic
Euroscepticism
Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...
, it has support from those who take a different, pro-EU view, but who wish to see the issue properly resolved by a vote of the British people."
Background
In January 1973, on its third application, Britain was accepted into the European Economic CommunityEuropean Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
. The 1975 European Communities membership referendum was held after that, following a change in government from the Conservatives
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...
under Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
who had led the application process, to the minority Labour government of Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
, who had made a referendum an election promise. The referendum found 67% to be in favour, on a 65% turnout. Subsequent treaties leading to the development of the European Union were signed into law without recourse to a referendum.
According to the campaign, all three major British political parties withdrew promises of a referendum on the last major European treaty, which proposed the creation of a European Constitution, after it was re-drafted as the Treaty of Lisbon
Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
, and subsequently ratified by the UK
Ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon
The ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon was officially completed by all member states of the European Union on 13 November 2009 when the Czech Republic deposited its instrument of ratification with the Italian government...
on 19 June 2008 by the Labour Government of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
. The subsequent 2010 general election unusually produced a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
, leading to a Conservative – Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
coalition government bound by an agreement
Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement
The Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement was a policy document drawn up following the 2010 general election in the United Kingdom...
that there would be "no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament", and to cover for future terms, proposed the introduction of the European Union Bill 2010
European Union Bill 2010
The European Union Act 2011 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, requiring that a referendum be held on amendments of the Treaty on European Union or the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union...
, which sought to "amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that any proposed future treaty that transferred areas of power, or competences, would be subject to a referendum on that treaty". The coalition did not however commit to holding a referendum on the status of the existing membership.
A YouGov
YouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...
poll held in September 2010 of 1,948 adults in the UK found that if there was a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, 47% would vote to leave, compared to 33% who would want to remain.
History
The People's Pledge campaign was officially launched in WestminsterWestminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
on 15 March 2011. The campaign website had been launched two days earlier. The campaign claimed that over 6,000 people had already signed the pledge before the official launch, and 30,000 people had signed by 17 March. Dan Hannan in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
claimed that "in the first 5 days more than 42,000 people had signed up via the campaigns website and 3,000 more volunteered to help leaflet".
The People's Pledge were the only campaign listed in the BBC's Timeline: Campaigns for a European Union referendum.
Organisation
Mark Seddon, a former editor of Tribune and member of the Labour National Executive CommitteeNational Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
, is the campaign's director, alongside co-founders Christopher Bruni-Lowe, Stuart Coster and Marc-Henri Glendening. It also has a number of MPs and other figures listed as part of an 'Advisory Council'.
The Council
- Under the chairmanship of John Mills of the Labour Euro Safeguards Campaign and the JML Group
- Austin MitchellAustin MitchellAustin Vernon Mitchell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby since a 1977 by-election.-Education and early life:...
, Labour MP (1977-) - Roger GodsiffRoger GodsiffRoger Duncan Godsiff is a British Labour politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath from 1992 to 2010, when he became Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green.-Early life:...
, Labour MP (1992-) - Ronnie CampbellRonnie CampbellRonald Campbell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Blyth Valley since 1987.-Early life:He grew up in a family of eight brothers and sisters...
,, Labour MP (1987-) - Kelvin HopkinsKelvin HopkinsKelvin Peter Hopkins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton North since 1997.-Background:...
, Labour MP (1997-) - John CryerJohn CryerJohn Robert Cryer is an English Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead since the general election in May 2010...
, Labour MP (1997-) - Kate HoeyKate HoeyCatharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
, Labour MP (1989-) - Graham StringerGraham StringerGraham Eric Stringer is a British Labour Party politician who is the current Member of Parliament for Blackley and Broughton having previously represented Manchester Blackley from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
, Labour MP (1997-) - David DrewDavid DrewDavid Elliott Drew is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Stroud from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
, Labour MP (1997-2010) - Zac GoldsmithZac GoldsmithFrank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
, Conservative MP (2010-) - Douglas CarswellDouglas CarswellJohn Douglas Wilson Carswell is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Clacton, having been first elected as MP for Harwich in 2005....
, Conservative MP (2005-) - Nigel DoddsNigel DoddsNigel Alexander Dodds, OBE, MP, BL is a barrister and Northern Irish unionist politician. He is Member of Parliament for Belfast North, and deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. He has been Lord Mayor of Belfast twice, and from 1993 has been General Secretary of the DUP...
, Democratic Unionist Party, Deputy Leader, MP (2001-) - Daniel HannanDaniel HannanDaniel John Hannan is a British journalist, author and politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament, representing South East England for the Conservative Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists political group...
, Conservative MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(1999-) - Marta AndreasenMarta AndreasenMarta Andreasen is an Argentine-born Spanish accountant, employed in January 2002 by the European Commission as Chief Accountant, and notable for raising concerns about flaws in the commission's accounting system which she felt left the commission vulnerable to potential fraud...
, UKIP MEP (2009) - Jenny JonesJenny Jones (Green politician)Jenny Jones is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. She currently represents the Green Party in the London Assembly, and is standing to be Mayor of London in the 2012 elections. She was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2003 to June 2004...
, Green AMLondon AssemblyThe London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
(2000-) - Jim SillarsJim SillarsJim Sillars is a Scottish politician. He is married to current member of the Scottish Parliament, Margo MacDonald.-Early life:...
, Deputy Leader Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(1990-92), MP (1970-92) - Bryan GouldBryan GouldBryan Charles Gould, CNZM is a former United Kingdom politician. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1974–79, and again from 1983–94...
, former Labour MP (1983-1994) - Ruth LeaRuth LeaRuth Jane Lea is a British economist, who works in the financial sector and has also worked in the Civil Service, policy research bodies and the media....
, economist - John KingJohn King (author)John King is an English novelist who has written a number of books which, for the most part, deal in the more rebellious elements driving the country’s culture. His stories carry strong social and political undercurrents, and his debut The Football Factory was an instant word-of-mouth success. It...
, author and publisher - Virginia IronsideVirginia IronsideVirginia Ironside is a British journalist and author. She is the daughter of painter and coin designer Christopher Ironside and fashion designer and professor of fashion design at the Royal College of Art Janey Acheson. Ironside writes a column, "Dilemmas", for The Independent and a monthly column...
, author and journalist - Brian Denny, Trade Unionists Against the EU Constitution
- Dele Ogun, lawyer
- Mike Watts, former finance director of the Labour PartyLabour 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...
- Robert Hiscox of HiscoxHiscoxHiscox Ltd. is a Bermuda-incorporated insurance provider, listed on the London Stock Exchange. An underwriter at Lloyd's of London, the company largely specialises in niche areas of the market, offering property and casualty insurance aimed at companies and high net worth individuals, as well as...
- Charles MooreCharles MooreCharles Moore may refer to:*Charles Moore , America Olympic hurdler*Charles Moore , director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney...
, Journalist; former editor of the Daily Telegraph & Spectator - Cllr Steve RadfordSteve RadfordSteve Radford is a British politician, and is leader of the Liberal Party.Radford is also a long-standing Liverpool city councillor, representing Tuebrook and Stoneycroft Ward. He is leader of the three-strong Liberal group on Liverpool City Council.Radford has been the Liberal candidate in four...
, President, Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
(2005-)
Other supporters also listed include:
- Fay WeldonFay WeldonFay Weldon CBE is an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrays contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.-Biography:Weldon was...
, author and playwright - John StevensJohn Stevens (politician)John Christopher Courtenay Stevens is an English politician. A Conservative Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1999, he contested the Buckingham constituency in the 2010 general election as an independent, against Commons speaker John Bercow.-Background:Stevens was educated at...
, former Conservative MEP - Bob CrowBob CrowRobert Crow , who is better known as Bob Crow, is a British trade union leader, the General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and a member of the General Council of the TUC...
, General Secretary of the RMTNational Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport WorkersThe National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom which unionises transport workers. It has more than 80,000 members, and its current general secretary is Bob Crow... - Iain DaleIain DaleIain Campbell Dale is best known for his conservative-minded British political blog Iain Dale's Diary and for his frequent appearances on UK news channels as a political commentator. He is also a publisher, broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician...
, blogger and political commentator - Caroline LucasCaroline LucasCaroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...
Green MP (2010-) - Bill Greenshields, former President of the National Union of TeachersNational Union of TeachersThe National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
(2008-09)
- The comedian Lee HurstLee HurstLee Hurst is an English stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as a panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over, where he was a regular from 1995 to 1998.In 1999, Hurst was voted no...
backed the campaign in a piece in the Evening StandardEvening StandardThe Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
and is listed as an official supporter on the campaigns website.
Support amongst MPs
Although the campaign has the support of various MPs on its Advisory Council, a number of other MPs have publicly backed the campaign. The campaign as yet haven't released the number of MPs that have signed up, but a number have expressed their support in public, including Keith VazKeith Vaz
Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz, known as Keith Vaz, was born 26 November 1956 in Aden, Yemen.Keith Vaz is a British Labour Party politician and a Member of Parliament for Leicester East, He is the longest serving Asian MP and has been the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee since July...
, Richard Drax
Richard Drax
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax , known as Richard Drax, is a former Army officer and journalist, now Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for South Dorset....
, Andrew Turner
Andrew Turner
Andrew John Turner is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is currently the Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight, a post he has held since the 2001 general election.-Education:...
,Edward Leigh
Edward Leigh
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh is a British Conservative politician. He has sat in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough in Lincolnshire since 1997, and for its predecessor constituency of Gainsborough and Horncastle between 1983 and 1997...
, Jason McCartney
Jason McCartney
Jason McCartney is a former Australian rules footballer, 2002 Bali bombing survivor and coach of the AIS/AFL Academy...
,Gordon Henderson
Gordon Henderson
Gordon F. Henderson, CC, QC was a Canadian intellectual property lawyer who joined the law firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in 1937, and later became its chairman....
,Martin Vickers
Martin Vickers
Martin John Vickers is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Cleethorpes at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
, Matthew Offord
Matthew Offord
Dr Matthew James Offord FRGS is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Hendon in North London...
and Steve Baker
Steve Baker
Steven Richard "Steve" Baker is an English footballer who played as a defender for Middlesbrough, Huddersfield Town, Darlington and Hartlepool United....
. Conservative MP Mark Reckless
Mark Reckless
Mark John Reckless is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood, elected at the 2010 general election....
whilst on the BBC Daily Politics discussing his EU bailout motion stated that he backs the campaign and urged others to do so. Reckless also congratulated the campaign during Parliamentary Business Questions for "pressing for a referendum on Europe and the debate on Monday, This comment related to the in/out referendum debate and vote that was being held a few days later.
In that same parliamentary sitting the Conservative MP David Nuttall
David Nuttall
David John Nuttall is a British Conservative Party politician. He is Member of Parliament for Bury North, having won his seat in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.-Career:...
asked whether the Government will recompense anyone who planned to attend a lobby of Parliament next Thursday, organised by the People’s Pledge, but have now had to reorganise their travel plans as a result of the rescheduling of Government business?. This comment related to the campaigns holding of a lobby on the original day of the in/out referendum vote. This was subsequently brought forward by a few days.
The Conservative MP Guto Bebb
Guto Bebb
Guto ap Owain Bebb MP is a Welsh Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Aberconwy. He was first elected in the 2010 general election having previously contested elections to both the Welsh Assembly and the House of Commons.-Early life:Bebb was born in Wrexham in 1968 to a...
had signed up to the campaign but subsequently backed out of voting for the referendum motion on the 24th of October.
Support amongst other groups
It was reported by the Alliance for Workers' LibertyAlliance for Workers' Liberty
The Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
that "The Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union RMT
RMT
RMT is an abbreviation for:*Regie voor Maritiem Transport, Belgian, state owned ferry company.*National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, a United Kingdom trade union*Real-money trading, a type of virtual economy...
has become the first union to formally back the campaign. RMT leader Bob Crow was already an individual supporter." It was announced in the Morning Star
Morning Star
Morning star is the name given to the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise.*Phosphorus , in Greek and biblical mythology** Eosphorus, the "dawn-bearer" in Greek mythology**Lucifer, the Latin translation of Phosphorus...
that the Communist Party Executive backed the People's Pledge.
Campaign strategy
The People's Pledge is a cross-party political campaign to bring about a binding yes or no referendum in the United KingdomReferendums in the United Kingdom
Referendums are only occasionally held by the government of the United Kingdom. Eleven referendums have been held so far , the first in 1973; only two of these covered the whole UK...
on the issue of Britain's continued membership of the European Union
Member State of the European Union
A member state of the European Union is a state that is party to treaties of the European Union and has thereby undertaken the privileges and obligations that EU membership entails. Unlike membership of an international organisation, being an EU member state places a country under binding laws in...
. It aims to achieve this by making sure that only prospective candidates or sitting MPs standing for election to the House of Commons in the next United Kingdom general election
Next United Kingdom general election
The United Kingdom general election of 2010 was held on Thursday 6 May 2010 to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom under the first-past-the-post system. None of the parties achieved the 326 seats needed for an overall majority...
who promise to support the holding of such a referendum, are elected. Specifically, it asks voters to sign up to a pledge
Pledge
-Promises:* A promise similar to an oath* A promise to donate funds, as in a pledge drive* Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a promise by politicians to oppose tax increases** The Pledge , a similar promise first used in New Hampshire...
via the campaign's website to only support such candidates. In addition to showing the total number of signatories, the campaign would also present those figures broken down by constituency. The campaign claimed this breakdown would be particularly effective in swaying the outcome in the 100 most marginal seat
Marginal seat
A marginal seat, or swing seat, is a constituency held with a particularly small majority in a legislative election, generally conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat....
s. In addition, the campaign sought to make available to all who signed the pledge, the voting record of their local MP on European issues. Co-founder Christopher Bruni-Lowe outlined the strategy of the campaign in the Nov edition of Total Politics
Total Politics
Total Politics is a British political magazine described as a "a lifestyle magazine for the political community". It was first published in June 2008 and is distributed freely to all MPs, MEPs, peers, political journalists, members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, and all...
magazine in an article titled Putting voters back in charge.
The pledge that voters are urged to sign is worded as follows:
Campaign position
Upon its launch, the campaign cited five key reasons why a referendum was needed: that nobody under the age of 54 had ever been given the chance to vote on the issue (i.e. those aged 18 or over in 1975), that the EU now made the majority of laws of the United KingdomLaw of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has three legal systems. English law, which applies in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland law, which applies in Northern Ireland, are based on common-law principles. Scots law, which applies in Scotland, is a pluralistic system based on civil-law principles, with common law...
, that the ministers
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
and parliamentarians
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...
making those laws were not accountable to British voters, that the cost of the EU to the British taxpayer was rising, and that the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
was aiming for further powers of economic governance. Accompanying the launch,
Seddon wrote a piece for the The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
titled A referendum on Europe is long overdue.
AV Referendum
The People's Pledge announced its first ground campaign in Sheffield HallamSheffield Hallam
Sheffield Hallam can refer to:* Sheffield Hallam University, a modern university in Yorkshire, England* Sheffield Hallam , a parliamentary constituency in Sheffield...
on 4 and 5 May 2011 which was publicized by the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
. The campaign was launched to coincide with the referendum on the Alternative Vote and targeted Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
over perceived changes of position over the holding of a 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...
on Britain's membership of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The Sheffield Star
Sheffield Star
The Star, often known as the Sheffield Star is a daily newspaper published in Sheffield, England, from Monday to Saturday each week. Originally a broadsheet, the newspaper became a tabloid in 1989...
reported that an actor dressed as "Cleggy Pollard" (after Vicky Pollard
Vicky Pollard
Vicky Pollard is a fictional character from the British comedy TV series Little Britain, which aired on BBC.Vicky Pollard is a stereotypical chav. She is a teenage mother and juvenile delinquent and is known for her inarticulate and incredibly fast speech and incessant gossip...
, a TV show character with the catchphrase "Yeah But, No But") toured Clegg's Sheffield constituency as voters went to the polls. Seddon announced that "the object of the campaign is to highlight the Lib-Dem leader's betrayal of promises, such as student fees and the EU referendum, since he joined the Coalition ... We’re drawing attention to a politician who cannot make up his mind on anything." Dan Hannan, writing in the Daily Telegraph blog, said "at last someone draws attention to Nick Clegg's referendum hypocrisy".
Both the Evening Standard and Sunday Express reported that Seddon had been denied entry into the House of Commons while carrying leaflets with images of Nick Clegg mocked up as Vicky Pollard. On his way to see John Cryer
John Cryer
John Robert Cryer is an English Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead since the general election in May 2010...
MP, Seddon had the leaflets confiscated before being allowed entry.
Marginal constituency campaigns
Following on from its activity in Sheffield the campaign announced via its website that they would be launching its follow up marginal constituency campaign in the months of June and July in the South East of England. The constituencies mentioned were HendonHendon (UK Parliament constituency)
Hendon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The current MP, since 2010, is Matthew Offord of the Conservative Party.-History:The constituency was originally...
, Brent Central
Brent Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Brent Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, Hampstead and Kilburn
Hampstead and Kilburn (UK Parliament constituency)
Hampstead and Kilburn is a borough constituency electing one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, Ealing Central and Acton, Ealing North, Sutton and Cheam
Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency)
Sutton and Cheam is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The current MP is Paul Burstow of the Liberal Democrats, first elected at the 1997 general election...
, Streatham
Streatham (UK Parliament constituency)
Streatham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, Watford
Watford (UK Parliament constituency)
Watford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, Hammersmith
Hammersmith (UK Parliament constituency)
Hammersmith is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, Islington South and Finsbury, Kingston and Surbiton, Brentford and Isleworth, Enfield North.
No more EU Bail-out Protest
On the same day as EU leaders agreed to a new £96billion bail-out for Greece, the campaign held a protest outside the TreasuryTreasury
A treasury is either*A government department related to finance and taxation.*A place where currency or precious items is/are kept....
in Westminster, declaring that no further bail-outs of Eurozone countries should take place without holding an EU Referendum. The Labour MP Kate Hoey
Kate Hoey
Catharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
who joined the protest said: “Our country needs an EU referendum. People are fed up that we have lost control of our destiny to Brussels.”
Congress for an EU Referendum
The People's Pledge announced that on the 22nd of October they are holding a one day event in London at Westminster Central HallWestminster Central Hall
The Westminster Central Hall or Methodist Central Hall is a Methodist church in the City of Westminster. It occupies the corner of Tothill Street and Storeys Gate just off Victoria Street in London, near the junction with The Sanctuary next to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and facing...
. The participants will include MPs, journalists and businessmen. The Independent newspaper claimed that the Congress would be "the largest ever held for a referendum on Europe".
In an article entitled Euroscepticism isn’t just for Tories any more, the journalist Daniel Knowles writing in the Spectator asserts that the Congress could be the event in which the growing private eurosceptic views amongst MPs is manefested. "A particular flash point could come in October, when the People’s Pledge, a campaign group that wants to force an in-or-out referendum on the EU, hosts a rally. Several Labour and Conservative MPs are expected to attend, including some close to the government. David Cameron will be looking on with concern. He knows that nothing makes his party more mutinous than Europe." Dan Hannan writing in the Telegraph urged all supporters of a referendum to attend saying that "this is the single most important issue facing us as a people". He also claimed that despite the best efforts of the campaign, they had so far been unable to get anyone to come and debate not having a referendum. "All three parties oppose an In/Out referendum, but no one will publicly admit the reason".
In the Mail on Sunday entitled "Cameron fears EU referendum revolt as MPs' vote looms", Brendan Carlin states that the congress for an EU referendum is timely given the in/our referendum vote in parliament a few weeks later. "The referendum vote move comes ahead of a major pro-referendum rally next Saturday in London, organised by the cross-party ‘People’s Pledge’ campaign". Dan Hannan reported in the Telegraph that 2,000 people attended the congress.
The campaign were featured on the front page of The Sunday Telegraph on the 23rd of October in a story titled "New euro 'empire' plot by Brussels", mention was made of the congress held on the Saturday. "Tory rebels were among speakers at a “People’s Pledge” pro-referendum rally in Westminster. They included David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, who called the EU a “nascent superstate”.
Congress Speakers
In the official program for the day the following were listed to participate; Mark SeddonMark Seddon
-Education:Seddon was educated at Dauntsey's School, an independent school , in the village of West Lavingdon in Wiltshire.-Life and career:...
, Kate Hoey
Kate Hoey
Catharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
, David Davis
David Davis
David Davis may refer to:*David Davis , Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council*David Davis , British Conservative Member of Parliament, Conservative leadership candidate in 2001 and 2005*David Davis , head of the BBC's Children's Hour*David Davis ,...
, Douglas Carswell
Douglas Carswell
John Douglas Wilson Carswell is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Clacton, having been first elected as MP for Harwich in 2005....
, Steve Baker
Steve Baker
Steven Richard "Steve" Baker is an English footballer who played as a defender for Middlesbrough, Huddersfield Town, Darlington and Hartlepool United....
, Ruth Lea
Ruth Lea
Ruth Jane Lea is a British economist, who works in the financial sector and has also worked in the Civil Service, policy research bodies and the media....
, Mark Littlewood
Mark Littlewood
Mark Littlewood is the Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs . He has formerly been chief press spokesman for the Liberal Democrats and the Pro Euro Conservative Party....
, Dan Hannan,, Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Peter Hopkins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton North since 1997.-Background:...
, Lembit Opik
Lembit Öpik
Lembit Öpik is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat in the 2010 General Election...
, Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones may refer to:*Jenny Jones , a member of the London Assembly*Jenny Jones , former Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West...
, Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
, Richard Drax
Richard Drax
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax , known as Richard Drax, is a former Army officer and journalist, now Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for South Dorset....
, Brian Denny, Bob Crow
Bob Crow
Robert Crow , who is better known as Bob Crow, is a British trade union leader, the General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and a member of the General Council of the TUC...
, Patricia McKenna
Patricia McKenna
Patricia McKenna is an Irish independent politician. She served as a Green Party Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency from 1994 to 2004.-Background:...
, Dounne Alexander, Keith Vaz
Keith Vaz
Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz, known as Keith Vaz, was born 26 November 1956 in Aden, Yemen.Keith Vaz is a British Labour Party politician and a Member of Parliament for Leicester East, He is the longest serving Asian MP and has been the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee since July...
, Peter Bone
Peter Bone
Peter William Bone is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wellingborough and Rushden.-Personal life:Bone was born in 1952 in Billericay and was educated at Westcliff-on-Sea High School for Boys...
, John Cryer
John Cryer
John Robert Cryer is an English Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead since the general election in May 2010...
, Graham Stringer
Graham Stringer
Graham Eric Stringer is a British Labour Party politician who is the current Member of Parliament for Blackley and Broughton having previously represented Manchester Blackley from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
, Nich Brown
, Priti Patel
Priti Patel
Priti Patel is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. First elected in the 2010 general election, she is the Member of Parliament for the Witham constituency, and an officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel group....
, Mark Reckless
Mark Reckless
Mark John Reckless is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood, elected at the 2010 general election....
, Dominic Raab
Dominic Raab
Dominic Rennie Raab is a British Conservative politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton in Surrey and is a former international business lawyer.-Biography:...
, Mike Weatherley
Mike Weatherley
Michael 'Mike' Richard Weatherley is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hove in East Sussex, since winning the seat in the 2010 general election.-Before politics:...
, Tim Montgomerie
Tim Montgomerie
Tim Montgomerie is best known as the co-founder of the Centre for Social Justice and as Editor of the ConservativeHome website, and has been described as "one of the most important Conservative activists of the past 20 years"....
, Marta Andreasen
Marta Andreasen
Marta Andreasen is an Argentine-born Spanish accountant, employed in January 2002 by the European Commission as Chief Accountant, and notable for raising concerns about flaws in the commission's accounting system which she felt left the commission vulnerable to potential fraud...
, John Stevens
John Stevens
John Stevens may refer to:In politics, law and public service:*John H. Stevens , built the first house west of the Mississippi in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota*John L. Stevens , U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Hawai'i...
, Richard Lamming Steve Radford
Steve Radford
Steve Radford is a British politician, and is leader of the Liberal Party.Radford is also a long-standing Liverpool city councillor, representing Tuebrook and Stoneycroft Ward. He is leader of the three-strong Liberal group on Liverpool City Council.Radford has been the Liberal candidate in four...
EU Referendum Vote in Parliament
The Conservative MP David NuttallDavid Nuttall
David John Nuttall is a British Conservative Party politician. He is Member of Parliament for Bury North, having won his seat in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.-Career:...
secured the debate via the Backbench Business Committee
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee of the British House of Commons was created on 15 June 2010 through the adoption of a new standing order. It was created soon after 2010 general election, but had been proposed during the previous Parliament by the Wright Committee on Reform of the House of Commons...
and the vote was announced to be on the 27th of October. To coincide with the vote, the People's Pledge secured the mass lobby of parliament where thousands were expected to attend to lobby their MP. Hours after this was announced the government changed the voting day to 3 days earlier. This was described by Tory MP Peter Bone as unprecedented manipulation of backbench business. The newspapers reported that the change of date was "designed to undermine a mass lobby organised by the People’s Pledge campaign for an EU referendum. The organisation was hoping thousands of supporters would be at Westminster next Thursday". In light of the change of date the Conservative MP David Nuttall
David Nuttall
David John Nuttall is a British Conservative Party politician. He is Member of Parliament for Bury North, having won his seat in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.-Career:...
asked whether the Government will recompense anyone who planned to attend a lobby of Parliament next Thursday, organised by the People’s Pledge, but have now had to reorganise their travel plans as a result of the rescheduling of Government business?. In the same parliamentary debate Mark Reckless
Mark Reckless
Mark John Reckless is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood, elected at the 2010 general election....
congratulated the campaign for "pressing for a referendum on Europe and the debate on Monday, The campaign subsequently re booked the lobby for the day of the vote.
In a letter circulated to all MPs on the day of the vote, the Conservative MP Steve Baker
Steve Baker
Steven Richard "Steve" Baker is an English footballer who played as a defender for Middlesbrough, Huddersfield Town, Darlington and Hartlepool United....
claimed the public appetite for the vote could be seen with the strength of support in each constituency for the People's Pledge campaign and the number of supporters that attended the Congress for an EU Referendum on Sat 22nd October.
Polling
Another YouGovYouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...
poll commissioned by the campaign ahead of its launch found that, of 2,436 voters, 61% supported the idea of holding a referendum, with 25% opposing.
An opinion poll carried out by YouGov for the campaign showed that 54% would rather have a vote on whether Britain should remain members of the European Union than the 25% who wanted a vote on the Alternative Voting system.
To coincide with the proposed bailout of Portugal the campaign commissioned two further polls. It found that 65% were against Britain’s participation in bailing out Portugal, whilst only 19% were in favour. It also found that 55% say that if we do contribute to the bail out of Portugal then we should have a referendum on our continued membership of the EU. Only 25% were against having a referendum under these circumstances. The poll results were widely reported in various newspapers and were used by Seddon in his comment piece in the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
on 8 April. and by the economist Ruth Lea
Ruth Lea
Ruth Jane Lea is a British economist, who works in the financial sector and has also worked in the Civil Service, policy research bodies and the media....
in a thunderer piece in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on the same day.
In a piece for the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
entitled Miliband 'can split the Coalition if he backs a poll on EU membership, a poll commissioned by the campaign found that 53 per cent of Labour supporters would back holding an "in-out" referendum. Some 76 per cent of Tory voters and 51 per cent of Lib-Dem supporters would also support a vote. Advisory Council member and former government whip Graham Stringer
Graham Stringer
Graham Eric Stringer is a British Labour Party politician who is the current Member of Parliament for Blackley and Broughton having previously represented Manchester Blackley from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
said: "If Ed wants a game changer, and we are not doing as well as we should be doing in the opinion polls, but if he wants to put the Conservatives into disarray, if he wants to change the public perception of him as a leader, then we the Labour Party need to say we want to listen to what the people are saying - we want your views on Europe".
Reactions
While Seddon stated on its launch that what differentiated this new campaign was that the initiative had come from the left, the leader of the Labour party Ed MilibandEd Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
told the Daily Express the same day that "It seems to me that we made a decision on Europe in 1975. I think it was the right decision."
A day before the official campaign launch, The Daily Mail featured the campaign in a lead article titled 'Give us a vote on our future in Europe: Cross-party campaign launched to secure historic referendum'. It claimed the campaign "hopes to emulate Barack Obama by harnessing the power of the internet to mobilise support in every constituency".
The campaign launch in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
was accompanied by a front page headline in support of the campaign 'New Hope to Get Out of EU', from the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, who themselves had recently handed in a petition to Number 10 calling for a referendum, under the Express 'Crusade' banner 'Get Britain Out of the EU'.
The day before the official launch, Peter Hoskin writing for the political magazine The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
stated that, while there had been many previous campaigns for such a referendum, it cited the timing of the People's Pledge campaign as slightly more resonant, given the recent positions of the two parties that went on to form the governing coalition in 2010, and that polling suggested 54% of people would prefer to have a referendum on issue of the EU, instead of the 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote brought about as part of the coalition agreement and scheduled for 5 May 2011, the first UK referendum since the 1975 EU membership referendum. Of the campaign's outcome, he stated that "at the very least, it might persuade some candidates to face up to, and meet, the tide of public opinion on Europe.", claiming that public support for leaving the EU had been steadily rising, and even a large number of non-Eurosceptics have wanted such a referendum for some time.
Caroline Crampton writing for Total Politics
Total Politics
Total Politics is a British political magazine described as a "a lifestyle magazine for the political community". It was first published in June 2008 and is distributed freely to all MPs, MEPs, peers, political journalists, members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, and all...
said "the campaign has pulled off a major coup by persuading touchy-feely Tory Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
to lend his support. Goldsmith, a star of the new intake, gives the campaign a way of rebutting the idea that this is a thinly-veiled attempt to put pressure on the government to pull out of the EU. He lends credibility to their claim that this is just about democratic consultation".
Charles Moore
Charles Moore (journalist)
Charles Hilary Moore is a British journalist and former editor of The Daily Telegraph.-Early life:He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was awarded a BA in History and was a friend of Oliver Letwin.-Career:A former editor of The Spectator , the Sunday Telegraph and The...
writing in the Spectator said "the real power of this campaign will be seen in the selection of candidates. If constituencies can muster a few thousand Pledger's, anyone wishing to be an MP next time round will be wise to favour a referendum whether he or she wants in or out".
In his weekly column, Trevor Kavanagh
Trevor Kavanagh
Trevor Michael Thomas Kavanagh is a journalist and formerly the Political Editor of the Sun newspaper.Trevor Kavanagh was educated at Reigate Grammar School before leaving school at 17 to work for newspapers in Surrey and later Hereford. In 1965 he emigrated to Australia, working on several...
of The Sun called the People's Pledge "the first serious, credible and accelerating campaign for a proper referendum since 1975", going on to say it was backed not only by traditional Eurosceptics but also by "major firms alarmed by soaring costs and dubious benefits". Chief political commentator at the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
Patrick O'Flynn subsequently reported on the "rattling" effect the campaign was having on MPs less than a week after launching.
On 9 May 2011 the campaign was featured on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week
Start the Week
Start the Week is a discussion programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 which began in April 1970. The current presenter is the former BBC political editor Andrew Marr...
program hosted by Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr
Andrew William Stevenson Marr is a Scottish journalist and political commentator. He edited The Independent for two years until May 1998, and was political editor of BBC News from 2000 until 2005....
. In a discussion with Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane is a British politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since the 1994 by-election and served as the Minister for Europe from 2002 until 2005, as well as being a current Policy Council member for Labour Friends of Israel.On 14 October 2010, it was announced...
, Ruth Lea
Ruth Lea
Ruth Jane Lea is a British economist, who works in the financial sector and has also worked in the Civil Service, policy research bodies and the media....
noted that the People's Pledge campaign had a real chance of succeeding where others have failed before given the current political atmospherics and that it is "genuinely cross party and led from the left".