THE wording of the referendum on the European Union has been released - and the campaign for hearts and minds, in advance of votes, is on.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the question would be: "Should the United Kingdom approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the European Union?"

The constitution will be incorporated into UK law if there is a yes vote in the referendum.

As far as businesses in Bolton are concerned, votes are up for grabs.

A poll carried out by the Greater Manchester Chamber in Bolton on behalf of the Bolton Evening News revealed a mainly undecided busines community, but one that is already sick and tired of the ill-informed, politicised level of debate on Europe.

A spokesman for the Chamber in Bolton said: "They split fairly evenly into three groups: in favour, against and undecided. The undecideds are just about the bigger of the three. The undecideds felt they had not been given enough information on the constitution to make a decision."

For too long it has been an answer without a question. Everyone has had an opinion on European Union enlargement, and in some quarters, campaigning has already begun.

The likelihood of a May general election has pushed a referendum timetable into sharper focus. A Labour victory would see a referendum next year. A Conservative win would see a referendum within three months of the election, according to Tory leader Michael Howard, while for the Liberal Democrats, "the sooner the better."

The constitution is essentially a rule book setting out what the EU can and cannot do. It sets down in writing the EU's values and political objectives.

It is designed to streamline decision-making in the enlarged EU of 25 states. For example, it lowers the size of the majority needed for most decisions in the European Council, and cuts the number of areas where a unanimous vote is required. It also opens the way to deeper EU integration and greater centralisation of decision-making.

Tony Blair signed the constitution in Rome last October, but the ratification of Britain's signature, and subsequently its role in the EU, will be decided by referendum. Paul Dickinson is a Chamber Director, as well as a Director of Horwich-based training agency Alliance Learning. He is also the business development officer for the Accomplice project, in which local students solve real problems encountered by business. He would vote in favour of the constitution.

"We're part of Europe and we should be properly involved. We should have joined the Euro in 2002 when the 12 other countries did. It has performed well, and the exchange rate over the last 18 months has not helped our economy. Joining sooner would have removed a potentially damaging variable element in business planning"

Mr Dickinson is not without hesitation, however. "There are some elements of the constitution that need further discussion. In terms of business regulations, the Common Agricultural Policy and the social and employment aspects, we need to be sure exactly what we are signing up to.

"But the important thing is raise the level of debate. It is far too political for anyone to make an informed judgement on these aspects. But the reality is that anyone with a business or a family should vote in favour of the EU constitution."

John Waters, a Chamber Board member and local independent businessman, believes in a No vote.

"For business reasons, I think the EU is good for trade, but outside of that, I don't believe that closer ties are beneficial to Britain. The enlarged EU is already too big - how big is Europe, exactly? And many of the newer members are poorer countries that may yet be a financial drain on the EU, and that means us if we join up. Looking forward, the EU will never reconcile Greece and Turkey, and the social aspects of the constitution are certainly not to our benefit. It needs to get back to reality. It is good as a a single trade market, but that's it."

Mr Waters agrees that the level of debate must be raised. "It needs to be de-politicised. It will be difficult because it is a very political subject, but there are too many agendas at work. There needs to be more pragmatism in the debate."

Representing the undecided majority of Bolton business is Andrew Dickson, founder and managing director of the St Andrews Travel group.

"In any debate, there are going to be points for and against. Personally, the Euro has been good for business, and it's a fact that everyone is more comfortable with it now because they are so used to handling it abroad. Many companies make money because people hold on to their Euros when they come back from holiday, they know they'll use them again.

"But people are unsure of the other aspects of the constitution. They are traditionally wary of things like that, and the sort of coverage you see in the papers doesn't help."

"Wouldn't it be great if we could have a truly independent, pragmatic study of what the EU constitution means for us, so that we could make an informed choice?

"It should involve business, because there are cooler heads involved.

"We should get the Europe debate away from the politicians so we can see the true picture."