Thread: Former German chancellor Schröder calls for 'United States of Europe'

Originally Posted by Bleipriester

After the starting gun sounded (Schäuble), more and more people now indulge in the USE reveries.

Former chancellor Schröder is very straightforward:
"From the European Commission, we should make a government which would be supervised by the European Parliament. And that means the United States of Europe."
"We will have to give up national sovereignty."

Furthermore he said:
"In the crisis lies a real opportunity to achieve a political union in Europe,"

Sounds like Schäuble:
"Sure, major reforms are easier to enforce by all shaking events such as disasters or wars."

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder calls for 'United States of Europe' - Economic Times

Hm it sounds like a new Soviet union.

Socialists across Europe should be thrilled with the idea.

Except, that this whole claim of a new Soviet Union is ridiculous, especially when entire Europe is leaning as much towards the right as rarely before. There is barely a leftist party left in government currently. And of course a supranational government which is dependent and controlled by a free and fairly elected supranational parliament with real powers (comparable to the US congress) is a concept that sounds inherently like the Soviet Union. Right?

Originally Posted by Slartibartfas

Except, that this whole claim of a new Soviet Union is ridiculous, especially when entire Europe is leaning as much towards the right as rarely before. There is barely a leftist party left in government currently. And of course a supranational government which is dependent and controlled by a free and fairly elected supranational parliament with real powers (comparable to the US congress) is a concept that sounds inherently like the Soviet Union. Right?

That very well may be the case but I am focused on this statement from Schröder with my original comment...

"The current crisis makes it relentlessly clear that we cannot have a common currency zone without a common fiscal, economic and social policy," Schroeder said.

In a way Schröder was right about the effects of the Euro, especially in the context of a economic downturn revealing some nations within Europe's handling of internal budgets and debt. Schröder's statements would appeal to socialists across Europe looking for ways to distribute weaker nations debt and horrible decision making onto those that have a more sound fiscal policy (or who have made fiscal decisions avoiding some of the mess others are now clearly in.) That being said, we seem to agree. I do not suspect Schröder's comments will gain much traction with those in power across Europe at this time. They cannot really seem to agree on bailout terms, I can't imagine the mess that would ensue if we actually saw serious discussions for a "United States of Europe." Just not likely.

Schröder stated the obvious in my opinion but doing the obvious is not the way the EU works as that would need rapid enactment of almost revolutionary ideas. No, the way the EU has been working since its creation has been evolutionary. Whereas deep crises often were the cause for another leap forward rather than backwards. Of course not always and its not certain at all which way Europe will take at this crises. I don't dare to make predictions and rather like to wait and see.

So far the EU has always managed to muddle through and that muddling also included bold steps if no alternatives were left anymore. We are heading towards running short of alternatives once more in the EU's history. We should see what happens within the next years.

What I find interesting however is how critical media and public are regarding the ability to act when it comes to the EU, but they are much more benign in judging the US' ability to act politically. May I remind you that EU member states all across the Union very well managed to adopt restrictive austerity measures and so far have countered destructive market forces far beyond what any observer would have considered possible only 3 years ago while at the same time the US is running into one political blockade after another.

You should throw a poll for the opinion of our European members. Maybe even one for non -European.

Originally Posted by dorian

Same here. I never cared about him and won't start now.

He is not stupid man. Maybe this will help you to understand his point.

"Rise of the Fourth Reich, how Germany is using the financial crisis to conquer Europe"

European debt summit: Germany is using financial crisis to conquer Europe | Mail Online

Originally Posted by Slartibartfas

Except, that this whole claim of a new Soviet Union is ridiculous, especially when entire Europe is leaning as much towards the right as rarely before. There is barely a leftist party left in government currently. And of course a supranational government which is dependent and controlled by a free and fairly elected supranational parliament with real powers (comparable to the US congress) is a concept that sounds inherently like the Soviet Union. Right?

Perhaps more appropriate would be to call the new EU empire as:

WORK FOR THE DOLE UNION.

Originally Posted by michael h

You should throw a poll for the opinion of our European members. Maybe even one for non -European.

The EU's own Eurobarometer survey, covering 27,000 throughout the EU, showed only 49% support for the EU.

Here are loads of poll results from Britain:

Pollwatch
Public Opinion Polls on the European Union

Conservative Home September Poll of Conservative members - 60% want to leave the EU:
Which of the following options would be your ideal future for Britain and Europe:


• UK should remain full members and participate in further integration – 4%
• UK should remain full members but reject further integration – 7%
• UK should secure substantial renegotiation of its existing relationship with the EU but remain full members – 29%
• UK should leave the EU altogether and negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU – 60%


Angus Reid poll, July 2011 - 49% want to leave the EU
49% of those polled would vote to leave the EU in a referendum; 25% wanted to stay. 57% believed that being in the EU has been negative, while 32% thought it had been positive.

Angus Reid poll, 6 December 2010: 48% of Britons would vote in favour of pulling out of the EU.
A new Angus Reid poll shows that, in the event of a referendum on the UK's EU membership, 48% of Britons would vote in favour of leaving the EU and 27% would vote to stay in. The results also indicate that 42% of Lib Dem voters and 36% of Labour voters would now vote for the UK to pull out. The poll found that 80% would vote in favour of keeping the pound.

EU's Annual Eurobarometer for 2010
The EU's own Eurobarometer survey, covering 27,000 throughout the EU, showed only 49% support for the EU. In Britain support for the EU was only 27%. Even in Germany only half the population have confidence in the EU.

47% of British voters say they would leave the EU as new referendum campaign is launched. Sept 10
A new YouGov poll has found that 47 percent of the British public would want the UK to leave the EU compared to 33 percent who say they would vote for Britain to retain its membership. The poll comes with the launch of the EU Referendum campaign, which is calling for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

74% of Tory members think Cameron missed opportunity to repatriate powers and cut EU budget
By Tim Montgomerie, Conservative Home

1,447 Tory members took part in a ConservativeHome poll from after Friday's EU summit until lunchtime yesterday.

The results - reported in the Daily Mail - suggest that members do not agree with David Cameron's claim that he got a good deal for Britain. Cameron said he had "succeeded spectacularly" in capping increased EU spending at +2.9%. 62% of party members disagree. 85% think the EU budget should have been cut.

More significantly, on a forced choice question, 74% think the Prime Minister should have used Angela Merkel's request for a Treaty amendment as an opportunity to get some powers repatriated to Britain. 26% agreed that accepting the Treaty amendment was in Britain's interest. Mrs Merkel is being portrayed as Europe's new "Iron Lady" because of her negotiating triumph.

Asked if they wanted to leave the EU, 49% of members said they did. Of those wanting to stay in (totalling 51%);

•5% said "we should stay in the EU but leave the relationship as it is";
•42% said "we should stay in the EU but aim to get powers back";
•4% agreed "we should be more enthusiastic EU members".

The Definitive Answer on the Euro
A cross-section survey of 1000 people in the UK, made up of Afghans, Albanians, Pakistanis, Indians, Poles, Iraqis, Somalis, Bosnians, Turks, Moldovans, Latvians, Lithuanians, Bangladeshis, Ethiopians, Russians, Congolese, Zimbabweans, Portuguese and Nigerians were asked if they thought Britain should change its currency to the Euro.

99.9% said no, they were happy with the Giro.

Conservative Home poll of Conservative Parliamentary candidates, Aug 09
84% want Cameron to hold a referendum on Lisbon, even if it has already been ratified

60% want a complete renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the EU

Only 6% want to be "at the heart of Europe"

Com Res Poll for BBC Daily Politics, 19 Mar 09
55% wanted to leave the EU but maintain close trading links

84% said that voters should decide whether any further powers should be transferred to the EU

51% did not think there was any benefit in trade or jobs from EU membership

ICM Poll for the Taxpayers Alliance, 22 May 09
69% want the Government to start ignoring EU rules

60% say that fines for disobedience to our Brussels masters should be ignored

75% want a referednum before any more powers are given to the EU

57% want to take back powers already given to the EU

Channel 4/YouGov poll June 09
39 percent agree with the statement "The UK should withdraw completely from the European Union", compared to 38 percent who disagreed, and 16 percent who said they neither agreed nor disagreed. 22 percent agreed strongly.

Only 27 percent agreed that "The existence of the EU promotes prosperity throughout Europe", compared with 37 percent who disagreed.

80 percent agreed there was some truth in the statement: "A great majority of the important decisions that affect our daily life are taken by the European Union, not by Britain's parliaments, assemblies or councils."

Lisbon Treaty: 82% want referendum in UK, even if all other countries ratify
From: Open Europe Newsletter

A new Populus poll for the Times has found overwhelming support for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, even in a situation where it has already been ratified by Ireland and the rest of the EU. 82% of people agreed with the statement, "If Ireland and other countries ratify the Lisbon Treaty on the future of the European Union, Britain should hold its own referendum on the issue", with 52% strongly agreeing and only 14% disagreeing. 92% of Conservative voters, 76% of Labour voters and 85% of Liberal Democrats voters agreed that Britain should have a referendum on the Treaty. (Times, 13 May)

The poll also showed that 58% of voters believe that the balance of powers between Britain and the EU gives too much power to the EU, including a clear majority of supporters of all the main parties. 28% say the balance is about right and 6% say too little power has been given to the EU. In response to the question, "If the Lisbon Treaty goes through and the new post of President of the EU is established, the job should go to Tony Blair", only 34% of people agreed, and 63% disagreed. 51% felt that Britain benefits from its membership of the EU.

Meanwhile, a poll in Germany found that 70% of people want the Lisbon Treaty to be re-negotiated, and a separate poll found that 73% of Germans agree that "the EU takes too many powers from Germany". (Neues Deutschland, 15 May)

BBC Daily Politics, BBC/ComRes poll, 19 March 09
55% of Britons want to leave the EU; 84% want a referendum before transferring new powers to the EU. A new BBC/ComRes poll shows that 55% of those asked agreed with the statement "I want Britain to leave the EU but maintain close trading links", while 41% disagreed. When asked if the current economic crisis has made people more likely to join the Euro, only 31% agreed and 64% disagreed. On the question of whether Britain benefits overall from membership of the European Union in terms of jobs and trade only 44% agreed with 51% disagreeing. When asked if the British people should decide in a referendum before Britain transfers any further power to the European Union 84% agreed, with 13% against.

Daily Telegraph/YouGov survey, 26 Feb 09
Top issue for an incoming Conservative Government to deal with is immigration. The second issue is reducing the power of the EU. This is a significant change, as in recent years the EU has not been considered a major policy priority, probably because no-one thinks we can do anything about it. Perhaps now we can.

YouGov Survey for the Taxpayers' Alliance and Global Vision, 11 Jan 09
Relationship with the EU: 16% withdraw, 48% looser relationship, 22% stay as is.

Joining the Euro: 64% against, 24% for.

Survey for Radio 4's The World at One. Jan 09:
71% against adopting the Euro, 15% in favour

ITV Tonight Programme, 20 October 08
ITV's Tonight programme staged an EU referendum in Luton, North London. Of three thousand local residents, 63% said they would vote against the Lisbon Treaty, with 27% in favour. 54% voted to leave the EU, with 35% voting to stay in. No wonder the politicians are against referendums.

Red C Poll for Open Europe 29 July 08
A new poll by Irish company Red C, commissioned by Open Europe, has found that 71% of Irish voters are against a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and that, of those who expressed an opinion, 62% would vote "no". That would mean the "no" lead would increase from 6 points in the recent referendum to a commanding 24 point lead in a second vote. The poll surveyed 1,000 Irish voters and was carried out between 21 and 23 July - shortly after Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the country. It is the first poll to look at a second referendum.

The poll found that 17% of those who voted "yes" in the recent referendum would vote "no" in a second referendum, while only 6% of those who voted "no" would now vote "yes". Perhaps most significantly of all, those who did not vote last time would vote more than two-to-one against in a second referendum: 57% would vote "no" and 26% would vote "yes".

67% agreed with the statement that "politicians in Europe do not respect Ireland's no vote". Only 28% disagreed. 61% disagreed with the statement that "If all of the other 26 EU countries ratify the Treaty in their parliaments then Ireland has to change its mind and support the Treaty." Only 32% agreed. 53% said they would be less likely to vote for Brian Cowen at the next election if he called a second referendum. In particular, 43% of Fianna Fail voters said they would be less likely to vote for him.

A separate poll by Behaviour Attitudes has found that the majority of Irish voters are happy with the referendum result, including one in 10 of those who voted yes. 54 per cent of those polled said they were happy with the result, while 34 per cent were unhappy, and 11 per cent were undecided. (Irish Times, 25 July)


You-Gov Poll for Open Europe, June 08
Only 29% of Britons support full EU membership
In a YouGov poll commissioned by Open Europe, 24% said "the UK should leave the EU altogether" while a further 38% said that "The UK should stay in the single market but pull out of the other political elements of the EU", making a total of 62% opposed to membership of the EU as it stands.

54% agreed that "The government should drop the Lisbon Treaty and not try and ratify it".

Just 14% agreed that "The government should carry on and ratify the Lisbon Treaty in the UK".

Labour voters are 46% to 19% against continuing ratification of the Treaty.


29% said that "The UK should stay in the EU".

38% said that "The UK should stay in the single market but pull out of the other political elements of the EU".

24% said "The UK should leave the EU altogether".

65% agreed with the statement "The EU is out of touch with normal people".

88% said they could not name any of their MEPs. Among those who did attempt to name some of their MEPs, the most popular choice was "Neil Kinnock"

ICM Poll for Global Vision, Feb 08
74% of those surveyed still want their say on the EU's Lisbon Treaty in a referendum.

Furthermore, when asked who should control specific policy areas, respondents were overwhelmingly against the European Union. This includes policy areas - such as trade and agriculture - where the EU already has exclusive competence to control policy, as well as those - such as Foreign Affairs and Defence - where the new Treaty envisages the EU playing an increasing role.

This latest survey also confirms previous Global Vision polling, which has shown that a looser relationship between the UK and EU is the option of choice for voters: 24% of respondents wanted to leave the EU; 21% wanted to stay in; and an astounding 50% wanted a looser relationship.

ICM Poll for Global Vision, Nov 9-11, 07
73% wanted a Referendum on the EU Treaty, 18% did not.

23% wanted to leave the EU; 47% wanted a looser arrangement with the EU, based on free trade; 24% wanted us to remain a full member

ICM poll for Open Europe 21/6/07:
86% of voters want a referendum on the new EU treaty. 43% of Labour voters said they will be less likely to vote Labour if a vote is not given.

Ipsos Mori poll, 11/8/07:
81% of British people want a referendum on the new EU treaty. Only 17% agreed with Gordon Brown that Parliament should decide.

ICM Poll for Daily Mail 19/8/07:
82% of all voters and 80% of Labour voters want a referendum on the EU treaty. 24% of Labour voters said they would be less likely to vote Labour if there was no referendum. 23% of voters would switch to the Tories if Cameron promises a referendum. 60% of voters believe the EU has too much power over Britain.

ICM Poll for Global Vision 1-3 June 07:
80% wanted a referendum before the constitutional treaty becomes law; 15% were against.

Populus for Global Vision 8-10 June 07:
83% wanted a referendum before the constitutional treaty becomes law; 14% were against.

You Gov Poll for the Sunday Times, Jun 07:
• 70% of British voters think there should be a referendum on the planned EU constitutional treaty, with 17% saying ratification by Parliament is enough

• Only 21% would vote for the treaty, with 43% against, 33% undecided

Harris Poll for the Financial Times, Jun 07:
A referendum on the new treaty is wanted by 69% of Britons, 75% of Spaniards, 71% of Germans, 68% of Italians, and 64% of French

Eurobarometer poll, 30 Jan 30 to 4 Feb:
Many young Europeans are unhappy with the European Union and some believe it will soon cease to exist:

• 40 per cent of young adults stated that the EU means an excess of bureaucracy and a waste of time and money.

• Just over a third of people aged between 15-30 see the EU as a threat to cultural identity and diversity.

• Looking forward 10 years, 13 per cent believe the bloc will no longer exist,

• Almost 40 per cent said the EU will have more social problems such as unemployment and strikes.

March 07- FT Harris:
Two thirds of Germans prefer the Deutschmark to the euro, and more than half believe that the euro has damaged their economy. More than two thirds of French, Spanish and Italian people also believe that the euro has had a negative economic impact. EU officials reacted in their inimitable style by blaming the voters for being "mixed up".
Oct 06 - ICM poll of 1000b businesses:
52% thought the EU is failing; 54% thought that the cost of regulation outweighs the benefits of the single market, 60% wanted Britain to renegotiate its EU relationship, reducing our involvement to free trade only.
Nov 06 - Power 100 Poll, Times:
81% of UK businesses believed that Britain should not reconsider membership of the Euro.


European Union Pollwatch - Opinion Polls. Leaving the EU is supported by a majority of British People

Originally Posted by caledonia

Perhaps more appropriate would be to call the new EU empire as:

WORK FOR THE DOLE UNION.

You're not even capable of formulating a single rational response or counter argument to what I have been saying.
You're responses read totally random. Are you sure, you are not some sort of forum bot?

Please come back when you have actually something to say.

Originally Posted by Sir Drinkalot

The EU's own Eurobarometer survey, covering 27,000 throughout the EU, showed only 49% support for the EU.

Here are loads of poll results from Britain:

Pollwatch
Public Opinion Polls on the European Union

Conservative Home September Poll of Conservative members - 60% want to leave the EU:
Which of the following options would be your ideal future for Britain and Europe:


• UK should remain full members and participate in further integration – 4%
• UK should remain full members but reject further integration – 7%
• UK should secure substantial renegotiation of its existing relationship with the EU but remain full members – 29%
• UK should leave the EU altogether and negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU – 60%


Angus Reid poll, July 2011 - 49% want to leave the EU
49% of those polled would vote to leave the EU in a referendum; 25% wanted to stay. 57% believed that being in the EU has been negative, while 32% thought it had been positive.

Angus Reid poll, 6 December 2010: 48% of Britons would vote in favour of pulling out of the EU.
A new Angus Reid poll shows that, in the event of a referendum on the UK's EU membership, 48% of Britons would vote in favour of leaving the EU and 27% would vote to stay in. The results also indicate that 42% of Lib Dem voters and 36% of Labour voters would now vote for the UK to pull out. The poll found that 80% would vote in favour of keeping the pound.

EU's Annual Eurobarometer for 2010
The EU's own Eurobarometer survey, covering 27,000 throughout the EU, showed only 49% support for the EU. In Britain support for the EU was only 27%. Even in Germany only half the population have confidence in the EU.

47% of British voters say they would leave the EU as new referendum campaign is launched. Sept 10
A new YouGov poll has found that 47 percent of the British public would want the UK to leave the EU compared to 33 percent who say they would vote for Britain to retain its membership. The poll comes with the launch of the EU Referendum campaign, which is calling for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

74% of Tory members think Cameron missed opportunity to repatriate powers and cut EU budget
By Tim Montgomerie, Conservative Home

1,447 Tory members took part in a ConservativeHome poll from after Friday's EU summit until lunchtime yesterday.

The results - reported in the Daily Mail - suggest that members do not agree with David Cameron's claim that he got a good deal for Britain. Cameron said he had "succeeded spectacularly" in capping increased EU spending at +2.9%. 62% of party members disagree. 85% think the EU budget should have been cut.

More significantly, on a forced choice question, 74% think the Prime Minister should have used Angela Merkel's request for a Treaty amendment as an opportunity to get some powers repatriated to Britain. 26% agreed that accepting the Treaty amendment was in Britain's interest. Mrs Merkel is being portrayed as Europe's new "Iron Lady" because of her negotiating triumph.

Asked if they wanted to leave the EU, 49% of members said they did. Of those wanting to stay in (totalling 51%);

•5% said "we should stay in the EU but leave the relationship as it is";
•42% said "we should stay in the EU but aim to get powers back";
•4% agreed "we should be more enthusiastic EU members".

The Definitive Answer on the Euro
A cross-section survey of 1000 people in the UK, made up of Afghans, Albanians, Pakistanis, Indians, Poles, Iraqis, Somalis, Bosnians, Turks, Moldovans, Latvians, Lithuanians, Bangladeshis, Ethiopians, Russians, Congolese, Zimbabweans, Portuguese and Nigerians were asked if they thought Britain should change its currency to the Euro.

99.9% said no, they were happy with the Giro.

Conservative Home poll of Conservative Parliamentary candidates, Aug 09
84% want Cameron to hold a referendum on Lisbon, even if it has already been ratified

60% want a complete renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the EU

Only 6% want to be "at the heart of Europe"

Com Res Poll for BBC Daily Politics, 19 Mar 09
55% wanted to leave the EU but maintain close trading links

84% said that voters should decide whether any further powers should be transferred to the EU

51% did not think there was any benefit in trade or jobs from EU membership

ICM Poll for the Taxpayers Alliance, 22 May 09
69% want the Government to start ignoring EU rules

60% say that fines for disobedience to our Brussels masters should be ignored

75% want a referednum before any more powers are given to the EU

57% want to take back powers already given to the EU

Channel 4/YouGov poll June 09
39 percent agree with the statement "The UK should withdraw completely from the European Union", compared to 38 percent who disagreed, and 16 percent who said they neither agreed nor disagreed. 22 percent agreed strongly.

Only 27 percent agreed that "The existence of the EU promotes prosperity throughout Europe", compared with 37 percent who disagreed.

80 percent agreed there was some truth in the statement: "A great majority of the important decisions that affect our daily life are taken by the European Union, not by Britain's parliaments, assemblies or councils."

Lisbon Treaty: 82% want referendum in UK, even if all other countries ratify
From: Open Europe Newsletter

A new Populus poll for the Times has found overwhelming support for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, even in a situation where it has already been ratified by Ireland and the rest of the EU. 82% of people agreed with the statement, "If Ireland and other countries ratify the Lisbon Treaty on the future of the European Union, Britain should hold its own referendum on the issue", with 52% strongly agreeing and only 14% disagreeing. 92% of Conservative voters, 76% of Labour voters and 85% of Liberal Democrats voters agreed that Britain should have a referendum on the Treaty. (Times, 13 May)

The poll also showed that 58% of voters believe that the balance of powers between Britain and the EU gives too much power to the EU, including a clear majority of supporters of all the main parties. 28% say the balance is about right and 6% say too little power has been given to the EU. In response to the question, "If the Lisbon Treaty goes through and the new post of President of the EU is established, the job should go to Tony Blair", only 34% of people agreed, and 63% disagreed. 51% felt that Britain benefits from its membership of the EU.

Meanwhile, a poll in Germany found that 70% of people want the Lisbon Treaty to be re-negotiated, and a separate poll found that 73% of Germans agree that "the EU takes too many powers from Germany". (Neues Deutschland, 15 May)

BBC Daily Politics, BBC/ComRes poll, 19 March 09
55% of Britons want to leave the EU; 84% want a referendum before transferring new powers to the EU. A new BBC/ComRes poll shows that 55% of those asked agreed with the statement "I want Britain to leave the EU but maintain close trading links", while 41% disagreed. When asked if the current economic crisis has made people more likely to join the Euro, only 31% agreed and 64% disagreed. On the question of whether Britain benefits overall from membership of the European Union in terms of jobs and trade only 44% agreed with 51% disagreeing. When asked if the British people should decide in a referendum before Britain transfers any further power to the European Union 84% agreed, with 13% against.

Daily Telegraph/YouGov survey, 26 Feb 09
Top issue for an incoming Conservative Government to deal with is immigration. The second issue is reducing the power of the EU. This is a significant change, as in recent years the EU has not been considered a major policy priority, probably because no-one thinks we can do anything about it. Perhaps now we can.

YouGov Survey for the Taxpayers' Alliance and Global Vision, 11 Jan 09
Relationship with the EU: 16% withdraw, 48% looser relationship, 22% stay as is.

Joining the Euro: 64% against, 24% for.

Survey for Radio 4's The World at One. Jan 09:
71% against adopting the Euro, 15% in favour

ITV Tonight Programme, 20 October 08
ITV's Tonight programme staged an EU referendum in Luton, North London. Of three thousand local residents, 63% said they would vote against the Lisbon Treaty, with 27% in favour. 54% voted to leave the EU, with 35% voting to stay in. No wonder the politicians are against referendums.

Red C Poll for Open Europe 29 July 08
A new poll by Irish company Red C, commissioned by Open Europe, has found that 71% of Irish voters are against a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and that, of those who expressed an opinion, 62% would vote "no". That would mean the "no" lead would increase from 6 points in the recent referendum to a commanding 24 point lead in a second vote. The poll surveyed 1,000 Irish voters and was carried out between 21 and 23 July - shortly after Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the country. It is the first poll to look at a second referendum.

The poll found that 17% of those who voted "yes" in the recent referendum would vote "no" in a second referendum, while only 6% of those who voted "no" would now vote "yes". Perhaps most significantly of all, those who did not vote last time would vote more than two-to-one against in a second referendum: 57% would vote "no" and 26% would vote "yes".

67% agreed with the statement that "politicians in Europe do not respect Ireland's no vote". Only 28% disagreed. 61% disagreed with the statement that "If all of the other 26 EU countries ratify the Treaty in their parliaments then Ireland has to change its mind and support the Treaty." Only 32% agreed. 53% said they would be less likely to vote for Brian Cowen at the next election if he called a second referendum. In particular, 43% of Fianna Fail voters said they would be less likely to vote for him.

A separate poll by Behaviour Attitudes has found that the majority of Irish voters are happy with the referendum result, including one in 10 of those who voted yes. 54 per cent of those polled said they were happy with the result, while 34 per cent were unhappy, and 11 per cent were undecided. (Irish Times, 25 July)


You-Gov Poll for Open Europe, June 08
Only 29% of Britons support full EU membership
In a YouGov poll commissioned by Open Europe, 24% said "the UK should leave the EU altogether" while a further 38% said that "The UK should stay in the single market but pull out of the other political elements of the EU", making a total of 62% opposed to membership of the EU as it stands.

54% agreed that "The government should drop the Lisbon Treaty and not try and ratify it".

Just 14% agreed that "The government should carry on and ratify the Lisbon Treaty in the UK".

Labour voters are 46% to 19% against continuing ratification of the Treaty.


29% said that "The UK should stay in the EU".

38% said that "The UK should stay in the single market but pull out of the other political elements of the EU".

24% said "The UK should leave the EU altogether".

65% agreed with the statement "The EU is out of touch with normal people".

88% said they could not name any of their MEPs. Among those who did attempt to name some of their MEPs, the most popular choice was "Neil Kinnock"

ICM Poll for Global Vision, Feb 08
74% of those surveyed still want their say on the EU's Lisbon Treaty in a referendum.

Furthermore, when asked who should control specific policy areas, respondents were overwhelmingly against the European Union. This includes policy areas - such as trade and agriculture - where the EU already has exclusive competence to control policy, as well as those - such as Foreign Affairs and Defence - where the new Treaty envisages the EU playing an increasing role.

This latest survey also confirms previous Global Vision polling, which has shown that a looser relationship between the UK and EU is the option of choice for voters: 24% of respondents wanted to leave the EU; 21% wanted to stay in; and an astounding 50% wanted a looser relationship.

ICM Poll for Global Vision, Nov 9-11, 07
73% wanted a Referendum on the EU Treaty, 18% did not.

23% wanted to leave the EU; 47% wanted a looser arrangement with the EU, based on free trade; 24% wanted us to remain a full member

ICM poll for Open Europe 21/6/07:
86% of voters want a referendum on the new EU treaty. 43% of Labour voters said they will be less likely to vote Labour if a vote is not given.

Ipsos Mori poll, 11/8/07:
81% of British people want a referendum on the new EU treaty. Only 17% agreed with Gordon Brown that Parliament should decide.

ICM Poll for Daily Mail 19/8/07:
82% of all voters and 80% of Labour voters want a referendum on the EU treaty. 24% of Labour voters said they would be less likely to vote Labour if there was no referendum. 23% of voters would switch to the Tories if Cameron promises a referendum. 60% of voters believe the EU has too much power over Britain.

ICM Poll for Global Vision 1-3 June 07:
80% wanted a referendum before the constitutional treaty becomes law; 15% were against.

Populus for Global Vision 8-10 June 07:
83% wanted a referendum before the constitutional treaty becomes law; 14% were against.

You Gov Poll for the Sunday Times, Jun 07:
• 70% of British voters think there should be a referendum on the planned EU constitutional treaty, with 17% saying ratification by Parliament is enough

• Only 21% would vote for the treaty, with 43% against, 33% undecided

Harris Poll for the Financial Times, Jun 07:
A referendum on the new treaty is wanted by 69% of Britons, 75% of Spaniards, 71% of Germans, 68% of Italians, and 64% of French

Eurobarometer poll, 30 Jan 30 to 4 Feb:
Many young Europeans are unhappy with the European Union and some believe it will soon cease to exist:

• 40 per cent of young adults stated that the EU means an excess of bureaucracy and a waste of time and money.

• Just over a third of people aged between 15-30 see the EU as a threat to cultural identity and diversity.

• Looking forward 10 years, 13 per cent believe the bloc will no longer exist,

• Almost 40 per cent said the EU will have more social problems such as unemployment and strikes.

March 07- FT Harris:
Two thirds of Germans prefer the Deutschmark to the euro, and more than half believe that the euro has damaged their economy. More than two thirds of French, Spanish and Italian people also believe that the euro has had a negative economic impact. EU officials reacted in their inimitable style by blaming the voters for being "mixed up".
Oct 06 - ICM poll of 1000b businesses:
52% thought the EU is failing; 54% thought that the cost of regulation outweighs the benefits of the single market, 60% wanted Britain to renegotiate its EU relationship, reducing our involvement to free trade only.
Nov 06 - Power 100 Poll, Times:
81% of UK businesses believed that Britain should not reconsider membership of the Euro.


European Union Pollwatch - Opinion Polls. Leaving the EU is supported by a majority of British People

Thanks for the info, I think its pretty clear where the UK and Ireland stand.

Red C Poll for Open Europe 29 July 08
A new poll by Irish company Red C, commissioned by Open Europe, has found that 71% of Irish voters are against a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and that, of those who expressed an opinion, 62% would vote "no". That would mean the "no" lead would increase from 6 points in the recent referendum to a commanding 24 point lead in a second vote. The poll surveyed 1,000 Irish voters and was carried out between 21 and 23 July - shortly after Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the country. It is the first poll to look at a second referendum.

The poll found that 17% of those who voted "yes" in the recent referendum would vote "no" in a second referendum, while only 6% of those who voted "no" would now vote "yes". Perhaps most significantly of all, those who did not vote last time would vote more than two-to-one against in a second referendum: 57% would vote "no" and 26% would vote "yes".

"Open Europe" is one of the most active staunchly EU skeptic think tanks out there. Tellingly they chose a name that sounds like they were open minded when in reality they'd rather see the EU abolished and replaced by good old nations and borders. It doesn't surprise me that the poll they ordered was obviously quite wrong about the outcome of a 2nd referendum. The Irish people voted very decisively in favour of the Lisbon treaty in the 2nd referendum.

In fact, the public opinion on the EU is very different in Ireland from the UK. Irish are much less hostile towards the EU if not pro European.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfas

You're not even capable of formulating a single rational response or counter argument to what I have been saying.
You're responses read totally random. Are you sure, you are not some sort of forum bot?

Please come back when you have actually something to say.

That's fine but let's remain civilized. Please without personal insults.
The fact is that Europe is becoming a German colony.
The sad news is Britain can't do much about that.
So is there anyone else who, this time, can save Europe from a New Nazi Dictatorship?