The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 for the European Union

[Divernan]

22. 1975: UK embraces Europe in referendum.

Member states must vote to accept or reject EU membership, as well as subsequent rewritings of the EU constitution. Majority of member states do this via their parliaments of elected representatives; others hold referendums of the popular vote.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/6/newsid_2499000/2499297.stm

1975: UK embraces Europe in referendum
British voters have backed the UK's continued membership of the European Economic Community by a large majority in the country's first nationwide referendum.

Just over 67% of voters supported the Labour government's campaign to stay in the EEC, or Common Market, despite several cabinet ministers having come out in favour of British withdrawal.

The result was later hailed by Prime Minister Harold Wilson as a "historic decision". Britain under Prime Minister Edward Heath had joined the EEC in January 1973 when the Treaty of Rome was signed.

Labour's general election manifesto of October 1974 committed Labour to allow people the opportunity to decide whether Britain should stay in the Common Market on renegotiated terms, or leave it entirely.
In the run-up to the referendum the prime minister announced that the government had decided to recommend a "yes" vote. But it emerged that the cabinet had split, with seven of its 23 members seeking withdrawal.
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And then yet another UK referendum in 1996.

In 1996 billionaire businessman Sir James Goldsmith, who was against the 1995 Maastricht Treaty, set up the Referendum Party to campaign for a referendum on the European Union.

He spent £20m on the 1997 general election campaign but only managed to achieve 3% of the vote.
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The history of the EU and its predecessors is extemely complex and I can't give a 3 credit college course on it here. In 2005, various EU treaties were combined and modified to form a European Constitution. It had to be ratified by all 25 member countries to go into effect. Popular referendums were held in 9 member states, including the Netherlands and France, and 55% of French voters and 61 % of Dutch voters rejected it. Turnouts were an incredible 70% in France and 62% in the Netherlands. So that particular version of the EU Constitution was DOA.

TMI I know, but my point is that the people always voted on the EU, whether directly, or one step removed through their elected officials.