The following is a copy of a letter sent to a local resident who wanted to know whether I would support a referendum on leaving the European Union.  I have removed his name and one paragraph to ensure that there is no way in which the individual can be recognised.  What do you feel about this issue?

Dear Mr ________,

Thank you for your e-mail.  From your message I would hazard a guess that you are an individual who would appreciate an honest response to a simple question.  As such I have to state that I would not advocate a referendum on our continued membership of the European Union.  I state this despite having a strong record on the European issue dating back to the mid 1990’s.

I was, for several years, a Council Member of Business for Sterling.  I sincerely believe that this business based campaign kept the UK out of the Euro and thus the worst aspects of monetary union.  In Business for Sterling we never advocated withdrawal since far too many businesses depend on being able to trade freely without any barriers with the two dozen and more countries which comprise the EU.  We should not, as a trading nation, create barriers or problems for our business community in their dealings with our main export market.  Business for Sterling did more to create a two speed Europe than any political party but it would not have happened if we had advocated withdrawal.

Following the winding-up of Business for Sterling I became a member of the think tank Open Europe.  We advocated a vote on the EU constitution by every means available to us.  Open Europe supported the Irish ‘no’ campaign in both referendums held in that country – with differing results as you know.  We held ten UK constituency postal ballots in order to show that there was a demand for a vote on the Treaty.  My efforts ensured that the Welsh constituency chosen was Aberconwy where we won a 90% ‘no’ vote on a 37% turnout.  The Labour Government did not listen.

As a Conservative candidate I would have supported fully a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.  However, it is now ratified and advocating a Lisbon Treaty referendum would now be no more than a quixotic exercise in futility.

I believe strongly in the need to re-define our relationship with the EU.  I would be delighted to see the current two speed EU develop into a three or four speed Europe with some countries moving to an ‘even closer union’ but without the current insistence on taking everybody else with them on the journey.  I believe that a strong Conservative mandate would give William Hague and David Cameron the platform to negotiate a new relationship with Europe with some powers currently vested in Brussels being returned to the UK. 

I have a confidence in the UK being able to negotiate as effectively as the Irish and the Czechs did over Lisbon.  The Irish, a state of 4 million, saw their ‘no’ vote win them concessions on neutrality and the status of the Irish commissioner whilst the Czechs, a nation of 10m, had the audacity to insist on being excluded from regulations relating to property rights which would have seen Sudetenland Germans lay claim to property rights lost after the second World War.  As one of the main economies of the EU and a key treading partner of all the largest states I simply do not accept the UKIP view that we do not have the ability to change things for our own benefit.  Mrs Thatcher did so over our rebate (now surrendered by Labour) and John Major kept us out of the Social Chapter (again surrendered by Labour).  It can be done!  

In Aberconwy your choice is clear.  You can vote for me and have an assurance that I will support every move to bring a more flexible two speed EU into existence through diplomacy and, dare I say it, deals in the corridors of Brussels.  By voting for me, however, you will not elect an MP who will advocate an in/out referendum because I do not believe it to be the right thing to do. 

In terms of a in/out vote your choice will therefore be UKIP or the BNP.  Plaid, the Liberals and Labour are all committed to further integration.  I suspect that you would not vote for the racist BNP thus you are left with UKIP.  I am 100% certain that a vote for UKIP will not give you a referendum on leaving the EU since there is no chance of UKIP winning any representation at Westminster. 

I apologise for the length of this response.  I do share many of your frustrations and concerns with the nature of the current European Union.  I feel strongly that we need a much more flexible Europe for the benefit of all the component nations.  However, I do not advocate leaving the EU and would not want to be in a similar position to countries such as Iceland, Norway or Switzerland where they have to accept all EU regulations in order to trade with the EU without having any influence on the decision making process.

I have a real confidence that a Conservative delegation led by David Cameron and William Hague will be able to show that many of the worst developments of the past 12 years in our relations with the EU have not been a result of some wicked pact amongst the other countries but simply poor negotiations undertaken by a craven New Labour Government that was in thrall to the vision of Europe sold to the Trade Unions by Jacques Delors in the mid 1990’s.

Yours sincerely,

Guto Bebb