Tony Bennett

The 31% turnout was adequate; it might be lower in other similar E.U. Treaty polls who will be announcing results this week.

If there was a referendum, a massive 90% (in East Renfrewshire) would oppose the E.U. Reform Treaty.

Time for the Queen to intervene and say: "I'll not sign this bill into law unless my people approve it first in a referendum".

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The Sunday Herald - Scotland's award-winning independent newspaper

Local poll boosts call for EU referendum
By Paul Hutcheon

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GORDON BROWN is under renewed pressure on the EU reform treaty after a local referendum in East Renfrewshire found overwhelming support for the issue to be put to the people.

The Sunday Herald can reveal 84.88% of the electorate who voted in the poll said there should be a plebiscite.

A further 89.54% said no to the treaty being ratified on a turnout of 31%.

The poll, which was conducted in Europe minister Jim Murphy's East Renfrewshire seat, was organised by East Renfrewshire EU Choice, the local organising committee for iwantareferendum. com.

The organisation believes the EU reform treaty, which was signed by the prime minister last year but has yet to be approved by MPs, should be subject to a UK-wide referendum.

But the government is refusing to put the issue to a special poll, on the grounds the treaty is different to the ill-fated EU constitution.

Labour's stance prompted iwanta-referendum. com to put the issue to 10 constituencies around the UK, one of which was East Renfrewshire.

The results, which have been obtained by the Sunday Herald, show 84.88% of those who voted said yes to a referendum on the treaty, with 15.12% opting for the "no" option.

On whether the treaty should be ratified, 89.54% said no while 10.46% said yes. The turnout was 31.06%, which meant 12,671 people voted.

The poll is a blow for the UK government as it shows the strength of local feeling towards the EU reform treaty.

However, with Labour and the LibDems both against a referendum, it is highly likely the treaty will receive parliamentary approval.

One of the poll organisers, Tory candidate Richard Cook, said: "Despite Labour's best efforts, the Europe minister's constituents have spoken. Surely Jim Murphy is not going to ignore the clear and overwhelming call of his own electorate? He needs to act like the Europe minister and not the Minister against Democracy."

The SNP's Westminster leader, Angus Robertson, also welcomed the result: "This is a slap in the face for Jim Murphy and the Labour government. It clearly demonstrates that public opinion is in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The SNP will vote this week at Westminster for a referendum. The Labour government must let the people have their say."

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