A letter to eurofacts which was published on 11th March 2005.

After its behaviour in the North East referendum, the Electoral Commission’s approval of the Government’s choice of question in the Referendum Bill was hardly unexpected, but the Conservative leadership’s endorsement of the question is extraordinary.

As you say, the question implies the Treaty establishing the Constitution is something remote from the British citizen – like say the treaty which established the International Maritime Organisation – while the reality is totally different.  As big a difference in fact as lies between the two questions, “Do you approve of the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Mrs Parker Bowles?” and “Would you like to marry the Prince of Wales/Mrs Parker Bowles?”

Any referendum question should reflect the reality of the change in the status quo.  In this case the simplest question which does this is: “Do you agree the proposed Constitution for the European Union should apply to the United Kingdom?”  This question, with its focus on the application of the Constitution to the United Kingdom, would also force the Electoral Commission to tackle the issue of informing the people about the main provisions of the Constitution, e.g. Clauses I-6 to I-16.