Douglas Carswell's Blog

EU referendum Bill: here we go!

So there it is. Of those names selected in the Private Members ballot this morning, most of the top half dozen names out of the hat are sound Eurosceptics.

James Wharton MP, who came top, will now present a Bill for an In / Out referendum on Friday July 5th.

Perhaps God is a Eurosceptic, eh? (WARNING: for humorless lefty pundits, that was a joke).

The Conservatives will unite behind the Bill. So, too, will the country - 82 percent of whom want an In / Out vote. Will Ed Miliband?

Perhaps we will now see the Westminster churnalists focus on "Labour splits", as and when MPs from all sides make it clear they back this Bill?

I look forward to columnists writing about the kind of Euro obsessives who still refuse, point-blank to give the voters a say.

Will the Bill become law? I know all about the sort of guerrilla tactics that can be used to stop this sort of Bill. But crucially, if enough MPs turn up in support, a Private Bill can get the all important second reading vote.

Just imagine if our Parliament was to vote in favour of a referendum on our continued membership of the EU!

But will they vote that way? I reckon the numbers are looking surprisingly tight. There are decent, democratic MPs on all sides of the House.

There are an awful lot of Lib Lab MPs in whose seats a great multitude just voted UKIP. Fancy denying those folk a referendum?

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