The Fabian Society is a UK left-wing think-tank and a forum for debate on all areas of progressive politics, including Europe. I was interested to read just such a debate in the Spring edition of their journal, Fabian Review - though I was a little surprised to read an analysis by pro-European contributor Mark Leonard, discussing the popular mandate for EU integration, which was wrong in every detail! Mr Leonard concludes:

"On the rare occasions when citizens are asked if they support [EU] integration, they have answered no."

Yet, in the past thirty years, there have been no fewer than 32 national referenda in European countries on further EU integration, and all but four have produced pro-integration majorities, often as high as 89 or 90%, and often with very high turnouts.

A record of 28 victories out of 32 - that's 88% - would be regarded as a remarkably positive result in any national election campaign. Yet Eurosceptics seize on the very few occasions where one or another country has said no to a particular development, half of which were later reversed, in order to suggest that the whole EU project has been bereft of public support and will be rejected at the first opportunity! Mr Leonard does the cause no favours by perpetuating such myths.