Back in 1997 Labour introduced the Referendums (Scotland & Wales) Bill which eventually led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly (publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cm…) (THREAD)
What the Bill actually proposed was a non-binding referendum on the subject in each of Wales and Scotland. And it was vigorously opposed by the Conservative Party. /1
Leading the charge against it was the Tories then leader William Hague. He said: “referendums should be held, but that they should be held when the electorate are in the best possible position to judge. They should be held when people can view all the pros and cons.” /2 
And he added for good measure: “Referendums are justifiable. They are a legitimate part of democratic decisions; but for them to be fair and compatible with the parliamentary process, we need the electors to be as well informed as possible.” /3
And he complained of referendums being conducted on the basis of general principles – before voters understood the detail. /4
And he took the Bill to task for using referendums to distort the parliamentary process and to bully a parliament that objected to the final proposal. /5
Voting with him were David Davis, Liam Fox, John Redwood, Bill Cash – and Theresa May. (api.parliament.uk/historic-hansa…) ENDS
