Britain would vote to leave the European Union if a referendum were held today, a poll for The Times suggests.
Forty per cent of voters would leave, 37 per cent would stay and 23 per cent do not know how they would vote, according to the Populus survey.
That translates into a 53-47 vote in favour of leaving after taking into account people's likelihood to vote and stripping the "don't knows" from the figures.
Earlier this week UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he wanted to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU and then give people the "simple choice" between staying in under those new terms, or leaving the EU.
If his Conservative Party wins again in an election due in 2015, Cameron said, the new arrangement would be put to voters in an in-or-out referendum by the end of 2017.
The news was welcomed by eurosceptics who have long campaigned for a vote.
Germany and France however were quick to warn Cameron that Britain cannot pick and choose EU membership terms.
The response from most European capitals, including Austria and Denmark, was that we don't want Britain to leave, but when you join a club, you have to abide by the rules.
Author: mattbg, 26 Jan 2013 09:58:29
Britons to Vote Yes to EU Exit - Poll
i think though that the club we joined was not one to create a single european superstate controlled by germany and france?
if they change the "club" without letting everyone have a fair say in the changes, then the democratic solution is to vote with your feet and leave.
Author: peterperfect, 26 Jan 2013 10:56:56
Britons to Vote Yes to EU Exit - Poll
Scaremongering that will only do the Uk economy harm, the media should watch what it prints. The truth is that the UK will only have a referendum after a full public debate on the pro's and con's of the issue. The last time that happened, the mid 70's, at the start of the debate the UK registered a huge "no" to the EU, by the time campaigning finished the actual vote was an overwhelming "yes".
The "no" at the beginning was an emotional gut reaction from the man in the street, after the debate, when people had been exposed to the arguments on both sides, the actual vote produced an informed, balanced judgement by the Uk population. The same will happen with this referendum (assuming it ever happens which is, by no means certain as it rests on Cameron being re-elected, even then not certain as he promised the electorate a vote before he was elected in the last election but wheedled his way out of giving one)
Author: peterperfect, 27 Jan 2013 09:56:19
Britons to Vote Yes to EU Exit - Poll
Quite agree with that. The only reason Germany and France have so much influence on the EU is that they are totally committed to it so, the members who are most committed carry the most influence that would be true in most organisation. The UK could and would carry more clout if (mainly) the conservatives anti's would just shut up and the media didn't give them so much coverage. The "anti" feeling is actually fueled by the medias coverage of the anti lobby, if they covered the pro lobby as much then most of the public's antipathy would disappear.
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