Britons want looser ties with EU

Richard Spencer
London Telegraph
Sunday, June 8, 2008

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.

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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.

Full article here.

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