British want looser ties with the EU, says poll

Blackleaf · British want looser ties with the EU, says poll

The majority of the people of Britain want looser ties with the EU, says a new ICM poll.

Opinion polls yesterday showed a dramatic surge in the No vote against the EU "Treaty" (EU Constitution).

Just 30% of the British people are in favour of the "Treaty", which the French and the Dutch also voted against in 2005, and which the Irish could soon do so.

Asked what should happen if Britain sought to negotiate a looser relationship but other nations blocked the move, a majority - 57 per cent -said the UK should leave the EU,

Britons want looser ties with EU

By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor
08/06/2008
The Telegraph

British voters would back radical moves to negotiate a new, looser relationship with the European Union, a survey has shown.

The ICM opinion poll for Global Vision, the Eurosceptic campaign group, found that among people who want to remain in the EU, a majority would like Britain to opt out of political and economic union, and restrict itself to links based on trade and co-operation.

A British government seeking to achieve such an outcome could only do so by putting it to voters in a referendum. If there were a positive result, ministers would then need to renegotiate the terms of Britain's membership with all other EU member states – a policy currently held by none of the three main political parties.

The survey findings come days before Ireland holds a referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the only member country to vote on the issue.

If the Irish vote No on Thursday the treaty, which gives more powers to Brussels, abolishing dozens of national vetoes and creating the new post of EU president, cannot come into force in any of the 27 member states.

It would be another big blow to supporters of further EU integration, after the collapse of the Union's proposed constitution when voters in France and the Netherlands rejected it in 2005.

The Irish Government could, in theory, seek to hold a new referendum, and carry on doing so until it achieved a Yes vote. But recent surveys in the Republic have suggested that public opinion would be hostile to such a move.

Latest opinion polls yesterday showed a dramatic surge in the No vote.

Those saying they oppose the treaty have doubled in three weeks to 35 per cent, with just 30 per cent in favour – a result that has shocked the government and the country's major political parties, all of which want a Yes result.

The Global Vision/ICM survey found that when British voters were asked about their ideal relationship with Europe, 41 per cent chose one based simply on trade and co-operation. Some 27 per cent wanted Britain to stay a full EU member while 26 per cent wanted to withdraw altogether.

If the "trade-only" option were offered in a referendum, 64 per cent said they would vote in favour. Asked what should happen if Britain sought to negotiate a looser relationship but other nations blocked the move, 57 per cent said the UK should leave the EU, while 33 per cent said it should stay in.

Ruth Lea, director of Global Vision, said: "A looser relationship, based on trade and co-operation, rather than full political and economic integration, is consistently the option of the British people."

Gordon Brown has said Britain will not get a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, although the House of Lords will vote on this decision this week. Stuart Wheeler, the millionaire businessman and major Conservative donor, will make a High Court challenge, also this week, attempting to force the Prime Minister to call a public vote.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, Britain will come under pressure to pass an EU directive giving temporary agency workers the same employment rights as permanent staff. Britain has always opposed the directive because business leaders fear that it could cost 250,000 jobs.

Brian Cowen, Ireland's prime minister, embarked yesterday on a last bid to persuade voters to ratify the treaty, saying it was his "most important" task. Defeat would be a personal humiliation for him and would also set back – perhaps permanently – hopes for a reformed and more streamlined decision-making process within the EU.

Ireland has received huge economic benefit from EU membership and Mr Cowen has warned that it could suffer dire consequences, with a No vote interpreted in Europe as a rejection of the union. But the business downturn and public uncertainty over how the treaty will work in practice mean acceptance is not certain.

telegraph.co.uk

William_Cleland

How many people in the UK actually have an informed opinion on this?

Aventinian

William_Cleland

Probably an exaggeration in terms of absolute numbers but not I suspect in percentage terms. Smile

Hence why we have representative democracy so that complex issues like this can be dealt with by qualified people. Securing Blair's red lines should have been sufficient for this to be non-controversial in terms of sovereignty and for it to handled like the Maastricht Treaty but the Lib Dems and Conservatives see an opportunity to gain votes through populism.

Red Justice

I am certainly not surprised that people in Britain want looser ties with the EU a surprising amount of Westminster legislation is made up of European Directives. The EU laws are more often bureaucratic or draconian than necessary and the Lisbon Treaty is the move towards the capitalist European superstate and European army.

Neil