Just a third of Britons want to stay in European Union - poll

[dipsydoodle]

(Reuters) - Only a third of Britons would vote to stay in the European Union in a proposed referendum, a poll showed on Monday, underlining the scale of Prime Minister David Cameron's task in persuading voters to back his flagship EU policy.

In one of the biggest gambles of his premiership, Cameron promised last month to win back powers from Brussels and hold a vote on Britain's 40-year EU membership.

Cameron would campaign to stay in the EU, provided he can reform Britain's ties with Brussels in the face of opposition from European allies and he secures a second term in an election due in 2015.

Just 33 percent of voters would support his call to remain in the bloc, with 50 percent wanting to leave and 17 percent not planning to vote, according to the Harris Interactive poll in the Financial Times.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/18/uk-britain-eu-poll-idUKBRE91H0BE20130218

[Starboard Tack]

1. I'm curious. What are your thoughts on this?

I've lost touch, somewhat, with the political mood in the UK, but have recently been getting FB messages from friends who tend to support Britain getting out of the EU. There also appears to be a rise in support for UKIP, which looks to me to be a Xenophobic, RW libertarian party.

[T_i_B]

2. I think anti-EU sentiment is growing

The bad things about the EU are well known & most people either don't see the advantages of EU membership or take those advantages for granted.

I think UKIP may be gaining some support, although maybe not as much as the Daily Telegraph would like you to believe. They are the equivalent of the Tea Party in the US I suppose. Very right wing and tending towards xenophobia.

As to the libertarian part, "Libertarian" is a word UKIP bandy about without any understanding whatsoever of what libertarianism actually entails.

[Starboard Tack]

3. Thanks for the input

That's pretty much the picture I was getting. Hearing a lot of racist noise about Rumanians, Poles and Bulgarians. Sounds like eastern Europeans are the latest targets of the hate and fear mongers.

[dipsydoodle]

4. As an aside

Spain changed their rules within EU law last July :

Details here : http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-spain/residence-req/residency-requirements-translation

They used Article 7 of the 2004 EU directive on free movement, which gives EU member states the power to define it ‘without prejudice to national border controls’ – in other words, entry conditions can be imposed on other EU citizens by member governments.

Basically even EU nationals wishing to stay in Spain for more than 90 days now need to substantiate either a job or if retired ability to self fund and have proof of heath cover funded by their own state. That has been enacted to help prevent economic migrants becoming a burden on the state - in this Spain.

The UK does as far as I'm aware have the same ability in place but have yet to use it. "Hate and fear mongering" here is most closely associated with the perception that economic migrants are in fact a burden on the state particularly with respect to corporation housing and use of our NHS.

[Starboard Tack]

5. How much of that is based in reality?

Are "economic migrants" weighing down public housing and healthcare, or are they merely being scapegoated? Sounds like Spain has the right idea.

[dipsydoodle]

6. I agree that Spain has the right idea.

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