David
Sumberg MEP
Date: 02/03/2008
Government clobbered by Bolton’s massive vote for EU Treaty referendum
North West Euro MP David Sumberg says a referendum in Ruth Kelly’s Bolton West seat has delivered stinging rebuke to Gordon Brown’s attempt to sign up to the EU Treaty without a national referendum.
Mr Sumberg said the result will send shock waves through the Government after a massive nine out of ten voters in Bolton West voted for a nationwide referendum on the EU Treaty.
And in a huge boost for the referendum campaign more than a third of Bolton West’s voters - 17,934 – turned out and returned their postal ballots. In another highly significant development a further 88 per cent of Bolton voters said the EU Treaty should not be approved by the UK Government.
The cross party business led ‘I Want a Referendum’ (IWR) campaign, which organised the vote, is claiming the result in Bolton, which was mirrored in nine other marginal seats, reflects a deep unease about the Government’s handling of the issue across the country.
Mr Sumberg said the result piles pressure on the Government to honour Labour’s 2005 General Election manifesto pledge to have a referendum.
“This is a staggering result in Bolton West and in the other seats across the UK,” he said. “It simply cannot be ignored. Nationally 36.2 per cent turned out, that is 152,520 people across the ten seats and 133,251 voted for a referendum. This is devastating proof that people want a referendum, that people are angry and that Labour risks a terrible backlash for betraying its manifesto promise. The Government now knows that a huge number of people will not tolerate having the wool pulled over their eyes. The Treaty is virtually identical to the Constitution and the public knows it. The Prime Minister must hold referendum on the EU Treaty as a matter of urgency.”
Background
Voters in ten constituencies were asked two questions:
1. Should the United Kingdom hold a national referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty?
88% voted yes and 12% voted no.2. Should the United Kingdom approve the EU's Lisbon Treaty?
89% voted against the treaty and 8% voted yes. 3% did not give an answer.Even though the poll was completely unofficial, the 36.2% turnout means that more people voted in these unofficial referendums than in real elections in their local area. The average turn-out for local elections (when not held with general elections) since 1996 is 35.4%. The average turn-out in referendums on directly elected mayors between 2001-2007 was 30.1%.
In eight of the ten seats a greater proportion voted for a referendum than voted for the sitting MP. On average the sitting MPs won 27.5% of the available vote. But of those balloted in these elections 31.2% voted for a referendum.
This is the highest ever turnout in such an unofficial ballot. To carry out a professional poll I Want a Referendum North West has commissioned Electoral Reform Services - the world's leading independent ballot administrator and independent scrutineer. The ERS plays a vital role in the leadership elections of all the major political parties, and each year provides independent balloting services for hundreds of organisations including government agencies, charities, multinational companies and trade unions. The political independence and electoral expertise of the ERS is recognised in UK parliamentary legislation and by the United Nations.