Referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty

Last week residents of East Stoke, a Dorset village voted in a referendum about whether the nation should be surveyed on the new legislation for the European treaty

The vote was called when a local resident, John Barnes, used an obscure provision of the 1972 Local Government Act which states that if 10 members of a parish call for a vote on any subject then the council is obliged to carry out the request.

Mr Barnes said he hoped the result would lead to further polls being held across the country to put pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to call a referendum on whether to accept the treaty.

Imre Niedermayer, Hungarian-born landlord of the village pub, The Stokeford Inn, said he was happy to take the time to cast his vote as he believed the poll represented "democracy in action".

"What this is about is democracy. I was brought up under communism and unless we have a vote about this treaty and unless we are all allowed to make our contribution to politics then it is not healthy and we will end up with a police state."

If you would like to vote on this issue please select yes or no on the right. You may also post your comments below.