European Affairs

I am pleased to hear that. I ran a constitutional change survey in my constituency called "Up for debate", which was about a wide range of changes to link in with the work of the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons, chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright), of which I was pleased to be a member. It was interesting that about 70 per cent. of the people saw a need for referendums, and not necessarily only on European affairs. In the written text accompanying the poll, most people said that the fact they were denied a referendum on Lisbon made them feel more strongly that we should have referendums on a range of issues, particularly the EU. I say this to those on both Front Benches: their credibility is lacking when it comes to the electorate, who will punish people who refuse to give a referendum because they want a say on the future of Europe. I do not know what the outcome will be, or whether people will vote to stay in the EU. The polling evidence shows, as my hon. Friend said, that more than anything, the younger the person is, the more sceptical they are. I am not surprised at that, because they feel completely divorced and detached from the European monopoly and an organisation that seems to be sucking in even more power, but has nothing in common with what they believe. We must test the water not only in the UK, but across the whole of the European superstate. People will become even more sceptical. That is why we must lead the way—not be in the following caravan—by giving people who want to stop increasing federalisation a genuine chance to express their opinions.