No, but it gets heavily influenced by the Daily Mail and other such veritable institutions, and at least the parties on the whole know something about why their opinion is how it is.
Sorry I don't understand, it gets influenced by someone with a vested interest which is better that it being influenced by someone with a vested interest?
Firstly, we didn't have a referendum when we joined the EEC; we joined and then had a referendum about whether we wished to leave shortly after. Secondly, why is this really such a major step? It's nowhere near as important as, for instance, Maastricht or the SEA.
I stand corrected (I was under ten at the time and barely remember it) but on an issue such as Maastricht we should have had one imo