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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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