A real vote on Europe

As a Liberal Democrat, I firmly believe that we should have a real vote on Europe - whether we should be in Europe or out.

Last Tuesday, Lib Dem MPs tabled an amendment in the House of Commons on the Liberal Democrat proposal for a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.

We believe that the European debate has poisoned Britain's politics for too long. If we are to look to the future and tackle the new global challenges such as climate change and international terrorism we need to decide once and for all whether that future lies within the European Union, or outside it.

As you probably know the arcane procedures of the House of Commons meant that MPs weren't given the chance even to debate the matter. The Deputy Speaker has blocked the opportunity of a vote on this in Parliament, and all the Conservatives are proposing is a limited referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

However, the public back our position by a margin of 2:1: according to Ipsos MORI twice as many people think a referendum should be on whether we stay in Europe or not rather than only on the Lisbon Treaty.

We want that real referendum because if Britain is to tackle important global issues like climate change and terrorism, we need to decide once and for all whether our future lies within the European Union, or outside it.

In that referendum campaign we will argue long and hard for Britain's vital place in the EU.

Please support our challenge to the Government and the Conservative Party to give the public a real choice on Europe by signing our petition. The petition can be found here http://ourcampaign.org.uk/europe