While in other EU nations the enthusiasm for being European was high, in Britain, very few people choose to describe themselves as European. Only 26 percent of British voters expressed a belief that the EU is a “good thing”, while 42 percent said it’s a “bad thing”. In Germany, 55 percent of respondents said “good” and 17 percent “bad”, while in Poland, which joined the block in 2004, 62 percent stated that it was “good”, with a mere 13 percent “bad”. In France a more balanced 36 percent were in favor of the EU, and 34 percent against. Just 9 percent of Germans and 15 percent of French people stated a belief that the UK is a positive influence on the EU, with more Poles, 33 percent, taking that view. The Europeans did not appear to be too fussed on the question of the UK quitting the EU entirely. 24 percent of the French said that a British exit would have a negative effect, compared to 36 percent of Germans and 51 percent of Poles. Over half a million Poles are thought to be working in the UK, and if the UK left the EU it is unclear whether they would still be able to do so. The survey also showed that UK citizens were more likely to feel an affinity with the US and with their European neighbors. In the case of a disagreement between the EU and the US 37 percent of UK respondents said they would support the US, while only 10 percent would side with Europe. The UKIP leader Nigel Farage was quick to jump on the poll’s findings. “We, on these islands, feel due to our history as a globally trading nation, much more at home with our cousins in the Anglosphere than we do with our friends on the continent,” he said.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 22:45:32 +0000
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