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The People's Pledge is a political campaign that seeks a referendum in the United Kingdom on the European Union. It aims to achieve this by getting voters to sign a pledge to help secure a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) in Parliament who support an EU referendum. The 1975 European Communities membership referendum was the last time such a vote had occurred in Britain. Directed by Mark Seddon and with cross-party support from sitting MPs and other politicians including the Mayor of London Boris Johnson,〔(Boris Johnson signs the People's Pledge ) City AM 26 March 2012〕 and Labour party head of policy Jon Cruddas MP it aimed to put particular pressure on marginal seats. According to British Labour Party politician Kelvin Hopkins: "While those who initiated the People's Pledge campaign are primarily Eurosceptic, it has support from those who take a different, pro-EU view, but who wish to see the issue properly resolved by a vote of the British people." More than 128,000 voters and 87 MPs have so far signed up to the campaign. The Campaign in September 2012 were announced as the secretariat to the APPG for an EU referendum, with Conservative MP John Baron acting as the groups chair.〔(), ''Mike Weatherley MP'', 5 Oct 2012.〕〔(), ''John Baron MP Press Release'', 13 Sept 2012.〕 James Forsyth writing in ''The Spectator'' asserts that Boris Johnson signing the Pledge has made an EU referendum almost certain. "The Romford Pledge might not have the same ring to it as the Tamworth Manifesto. But Boris Johnson's decision while campaigning last month to sign up to the campaign for an in/out referendum on EU membership could be a key moment in the history of the Conservative party — the moment when the party's balance of power tipped decisively in favour of a referendum." Along with Forsyth, Paul Goodman of ConservativeHome and Leo Mckinstry of the ''Daily Express'' have cited the success of the campaign as a main reason why a referendum is now a possibility.〔(Could George Osborne's leadership ambitions deliver a referendum ), ''ConservativeHome'', 11 May 2012.〕〔(David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg: We demand our EU referendum ), ''The Daily Express'', 14 May 2012.〕 ==Background== In January 1973, on its third application, Britain was accepted into the European Economic Community. The 1975 European Communities membership referendum was held after that, following a change in government from the Conservatives under Edward Heath who had led the application process, to the minority Labour government of Harold Wilson, who had made a referendum an election promise. The referendum found 67% to be in favour, on a 65% turnout. Subsequent treaties leading to the development of the European Union were signed into law without recourse to a referendum. According to the campaign, all three major British political parties withdrew promises of a referendum on the last major European treaty, which proposed the creation of a European Constitution, after it was re-drafted as the Treaty of Lisbon, and subsequently ratified by the UK on 19 June 2008 by the Labour Government of Gordon Brown.〔 The subsequent 2010 general election unusually produced a hung parliament, leading to a Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government bound by an agreement that there would be "no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament", and to cover for future terms, proposed the introduction of the European Union Bill 2010, which sought to "amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that any proposed future treaty that transferred areas of power, or competences, would be subject to a referendum on that treaty". The coalition did not however commit to holding a referendum on the status of the existing membership. A YouGov poll conducted in September 2010 of 1,948 adults in the UK found that if there was a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, 47% would vote to leave, compared to 33% who would want to remain.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「People's Pledge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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