The Referendum Party was a Eurosceptic political party, active in the
United Kingdom from 1994 to 1997. The party's sole objective was a
referendum on the nature of the UK's membership in the European Union.
It was founded in November 1994 by the Anglo-French multi-millionaire
businessman and politician James Goldsmith, an elected Member of the
European Parliament for the Movement for France party. In the build-up
to the 1997 general election, the Referendum Party spent more on press
advertising than either the incumbent Conservatives or the Labour
Party. It stood more candidates than any minor party had ever fielded in
a UK election (in 547 of the 659 constituencies), and won 2.6% of the
vote nationally, but failed to win any seats in the House of Commons.
Support was strongest in southern and eastern England, and weakest in
inner London, northern England, and Scotland. Goldsmith died in July
1997, and the party disbanded shortly after.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum_Party>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1638:
Swedish settlers founded New Sweden near Delaware Bay, the
first Swedish colony in America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden>
1941:
The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement to define
technical standards for AM band radio stations came into effect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Regional_Broadcasting_Agreement>
1969:
The New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of
the Philippines, was formed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_People%27s_Army>
1999:
The strongest earthquake to hit the foothills of the Himalayas
in more than 90 years killed at least 100 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Chamoli_earthquake>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
chaotic:
1. Filled with chaos.
2. Extremely disorganized or in disarray.
3. (mathematics) Highly sensitive to starting conditions, so that a
small change to them may yield a very different outcome.
4. (role-playing games) Aligned against following or upholding laws and
principles.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chaotic>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life is not hurrying on to a receding future, nor hankering
after an imagined past. It is the turning aside like Moses to the
miracle of the lit bush, to a brightness that seemed as transitory as
your youth once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
--R. S. Thomas
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/R._S._Thomas>