http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15382019 MPs are being told to oppose the holding of a referendum on EU membership in the UK. The EU may be proving it's true worth in the current climate but it is too big an issue not to consult the electorate. If they take any big decisions how can they possibly say that it is what the public want and if they don't hold a referendum it invalidates the whole 'We're in it together'.
We had a referendum on membership - in the 1970s when we joined it. You can't just keep having referendums on whether or not you should be a member of something.
That's what the party leaders are doing. The 70s were a long time ago. Attitudes change, people not eligible to vote then now can, we have a new generation of people who should have a say.
And how democratic would it be with the likes of the Sun, Daily Mail and Telegraph making up bullshit stories about MEPs wanting to ban the Union Flag or ban the good old British banger on a near daily basis? Our future in the hands of bitter Daily Mail reading OAPs ? No thanks.
They could, and probably should, have had referendums on signifcant Treaty changes such as Maastricht and Lisbon - I'll accept that - but you can't really say "he never got a vote on membership then so he should have one now" By that rationale we'd be voting every year and on pretty much everything.
A good point and therein lies the dilemma. One one hand do we ignore the Democratic process or do we leave the decision in the hands of people too stupid to realise that the tabloids print ****e. Thank God I'm not a politician.
Only on massive issues like EU membership and the likes. Other, more minor, issues can be left to the politicians because that's what we elect them to do.
the 70s was way before my parents could vote, so thats two generations who havent had a say on the matter. extremely undemocratic.
My parents couldnae vote either (though Tina doesn't believe I'm only a wee bairn). I'd vote yes to the EU.
Bullshit. Throughout the late 80s and 90s the subject of Europe was at the heart of elections. The majority of people voted for parties (Labour, Tories and Lib Dems) who are all in favour of EU membership. If people were as anti-Europe as some ****wits in the Tory party and nutters like Goldsmith thought the likes of UKIP would have made major breakthroughs into Westminster. Didn't happen.
Better with this one: http://andrewduff.eu/en/page/myth-index That's why I'm against it. Not on the membership of the EU but referendums in general. Too many lies and half truths told by the press and politicians with self interests.
Yes - which is why we should have had referenda on the major treaty changes. Mind you I tend to agree with Stereo - they were probably terrified of the media orchestrating it.
