Poll: The EU Referendum: How Will You Vote? (April Poll)

[Soundood]

this poll seems to reflect 4 other polls I have seen on internet forums, very interesting that also most of the people I speak with seem to want to leave,

so I guess the vote will be to stay in then.

 

[Jokester]

When ever this has come up in conversations with people with me very few people have said they will vote remain. The vast majority are definitely voting to leave!

 

[ultralaser]

When it comes to Obama's comments, you must remember that he's doing everything he can to ensure we stay in the EU. I'd take his "10 year" for a new trade deals comments with a pinch of salt. The US want is Europe because we're they're want to project influence via the UK in the EU, they've been doing so for years. So of course he's going to spout all sorts!

 

[v0n]

When ever this has come up in conversations with people with me very few people have said they will vote remain. The vast majority are definitely voting to leave!

It's quite opposite with me - I honestly don't know anyone who will vote leave. But that's how it works I suppose - it's highly unlikely that anyone holding nationalistic, pro separatism or anti immigration (whichever applies) views would be a friend of mine or discuss political issues with me, therefore by default my perspective on the outcome of the referendum is permanently skewed and it's hard for me to understand where all the "out" votes come from.

 

[Jokester]

It's quite opposite with me - I honestly don't know anyone who will vote leave. But that's how it works I suppose - it's highly unlikely that anyone holding nationalistic, pro separatism or anti immigration (whichever applies) views would be a friend of mine or discuss political issues with me, therefore by default my perspective on the outcome of the referendum is permanently skewed and it's hard for me to understand where all the "out" votes come from.

You must work with people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds though?

It was different with the Scottish independence vote, where there was a clear split in support one way or another between people I know.

 

[stewski]

Stolen elections, blatant support of the most vile of terrorists, newspapers closed, tv chanels closed, over 2000 people charged with insulting the president, stealing another countrie's oil and keeping the loot in the family and an all out military attack on Kurds and you say they're not disgusting. By the way my quote was in context that context being the wrong label of fear of turdkey rather than the correct disgust with turdkey.

Wow those are disgusting, but of course the actions of the government wouldn't make the whole of Turkey disgusting to me. Just like I don't write off the whole of the UK/USA/Allies due to:

American Govt - (Stolen Election George Bush Jr)
British Govt (successive Governments rearranging the electoral boundaries and even voter registration requirements to benefit themselves)
Supporting terror (Britain/America/Allies blowing the middle east up on False premises and then leaving it to rot/incubate ISIS, supporting Israel's handling of Palestine)
British Govt - Not speaking out about human rights abuses in the Middle East in general, whilst attempting to do deals with Saudi Arabia in services of their prison system.

Yes I find such actions of Governments disgusting; No I don't find all of America/Britain etc Disgusting.

As I have said, I don't support EU enlargement to include Turkey for various reasons, but I don't have disgust for the whole country regardless of what I think of the Government.

As for the use of the name "Turdkey" it doesn't speak well of the rest of the argument to follow.

But like I say, I wont let one rambling outlier be representative of the whole leave campaign...

 

[Woden]

When it comes to Obama's comments, you must remember that he's doing everything he can to ensure we stay in the EU. I'd take his "10 year" for a new trade deals comments with a pinch of salt. The US want is Europe because we're they're want to project influence via the UK in the EU, they've been doing so for years. So of course he's going to spout all sorts!

Schroedinger's brexit. Simultaneously having no influence in the EU and projecting influence.

 

[Naff8000]

This campaign is like the U.S vs Algeria in a basketball match. Some random politicians with no clue what leaving will mean, scraping up some questionable statements on savings vs line after line of businesses, public figures and politicians saying it will mean widespread turmoil. Unless something dramatic happens I think whatever the opinion polls say and they weren't much use in the election, come voting time people will vote remain, perhaps overwhelmingly.

 

[StriderX]

Personally the best out come is a very close election, but with remaining as the winner.

It gives the EU a bad taste in its mouth that it almost lost a nation, while not being entirely reckless.

Other than that, i just think it would be hilarious if we left, the comments out of brussels would be golden.

 

[PlacidCasual]

Apparently Obama said demons will burst forth from Leaver voters backsiders and a dagon will eat the Sun if we vote for Brexit. Also our lord and Saviour Obama would forsake Britain.
Whilst Im willing to risk a bezelbub enema The loss of Obama our greatest friend and redeemer is a risk too far for me. I'm definitely a Remainer thx to the sainted one's intervention.

 

[b0redj0rd]

Why don't you explain your thoughts to the 150k Germans protesting against it in Berlin Moses?

If only they were as knowledgeable as you

 

[Skunkworks]

I love the way people think their opinions just settle things.

 

[Insanties_birth]

I don't get why remainers are so worried. Just like whenever something bad about the EU comes up its always the same thing 'yeah but we voted for it and it's democratic so there's no issue'. So if we leave at least we voted for it and it's all cool, no need to worry guys /jk.

Seriously though I think the EU does sound like a failed and mismanaged project of wealth spreading that looks to not be working out. It seems like lacking ttip could be a good thing too but I am voting to stay in for several reasons. Overall though if it wasn't due to issues with Ireland, Scotland etc wanting to stay and the financial crisis I'd be wanting to leave. The EU hasn't been an entirely worthwhile project and doesn't seem to have benefited us much after 40 years of being inside so I can only question what is causing it to not work as it's intended and the lack of real prosperity in the eu region.

It's easy to get tangled up in your own thought path though, whether it's convicting yourselves that the EU is worse than it is or better than it is. I don't feel we'd be bad off leaving or staying bit I don't like the lack of flexibility with laws and sovereignty , pending ttip, Turkey joining, lack of respect from EU on our welfare systems, the lack of control on migration etc. I do like the research money for sciences, the agricultural and social funds, the benefits of trade and how these things work well for countries like jersey and Ireland. People are so heated on the matter when they ignore the points that don't suit there side but honestly I can understand why people want out and some want in. Overall though I'd rather vote out if it wasn't for the recent financial crisis. A country is only as good as it's economy and it seems like we're gonna take some hits whether we stay in EU and they slowly erode British culture or whether we voted out and had a few years of pain and business uncertainty.

 

[PlacidCasual]

I love the way people think their opinions just settle things.

I know what you mean but for each individual they do by and large. Our opinions are just subjective heuristic assessments most of the time.

I work engineering and becauseof the operational nature limited margins and resource constraints for all our desire to use evidence and QAQC etc most decisions come down to opinion. Ofteninformed or expert opinion but opinion nonetheless and we have no control, mechanism to test the result. We only get really quantitative for process safety critical calculations but even they are based on evelopes of experience and World class expert opinion because it is notpractical to measure everything.

Politics is no difference but because we have accepted the concept of Governing by consent we routinely have non experts, MPs or voter, making the decision. Short of a dictatorship of technocrats thats as good as it gets and group decisionmaking still might be better.

Ironically the risk of a dictatorship of the technocrats is one of the most compelling reasons to leave the EU.

 

[Mulder]

How can Britain be important and at the same time not influential? The second largest economy in the block, larger than the bottom 20 economies combined, is not influential? Your claim is pure fantasy.

So you're saying the UK can't be important to the EU without being influential within the EU? That is pure fantasy, one being true doesn't make the other true.

We're important because of two main reasons:
1) We're one of the richest countries in the EU, and are a significant net contributor to the EU's coffers, unlike most other countries
2) If we do leave many others will want to follow and the whole project may start to fall apart

We are not influential in the EU. You can point to reports about "connections" but as has been discussed in this thread and elsewhere the EU spins on a Franco-German axis. They make all the big decisions, they're the figureheads always doing the negotiations, and as you quote yourself and don't dispute, we're constantly outvoted and our objections ignored. We have far worse representation in the European Parliament (which has no real power anyway), and have been unable to prevent considerable EU law/regulations hurting UK business, which even the Government accepts.

Our woeful level of "representation" in an increasingly large EU is also getting smaller and smaller as more and more countries come on board.

Since records began in 1996, the UK has not managed to prevent a single proposal placed in front of the Council of Ministers from becoming European law.

EU Legislation that Britain has tried to block include EU laws on car emissions (Euro 5 and Euro 6), which Government documents have said could cost the UK up to £55.5bn

The UK’s representation in all of the EU’s bodies has declined dramatically. Since 1973 the UK’s voting power in the Council of Ministers has decreased from 17% to 8%, in the European Parliament it has decreased from 20% to 9.5% and in the European Commission it has decreased from 15% to 4%

The above research was published a day after polling by Lord Ashcroft revealed that 72 per cent of British people didn’t have confidence in Britain’s ability to secure a better deal from the EU.

The most important clients for services are developed countries and there's not a single developed country in that list. If some of them become developed in a few decades, they will be suitable potential clients. Until then, Britain will focus its services sales on the US and the EU, the only large, developed economies in the world. Ditto for naming Panama as a potential client for Britain's services, given the recent events, the irony is priceless.

I don't mean to sound rude, but you really have no idea what you're talking about on this point. To make it easier to understand here's a summary that you can fact check with the Ernst and Young UK services report:

• Britain is exporting more and more services, and less and less goods, and this trend will continue over time as we move further toward a services economy
• The fastest rate of growth for British services exports are to China and India, both of whom are growing fast and have a burgeoning middle class. Korea, UAE and Saudi Arabia also make the list, the EU doesn't
• Currently only 30% of our services exports are to the EU, yet any business that wants to export its services anywhere in the world has to adhere to 100% of EU law/red tape. That 30% will get smaller and smaller over time yet unless we leave, and that 100% (and associated cost) will not change
• We import way more goods from the EU than we export to them. That makes us a customer. I doubt VW, BMW, Bosch and all the other major European goods producers that sell a lot to Britain will want to "punish" us if we leave, they will want to be able to sell as much to us in the future as they do now (they're profit driven, not driven by a political aim to create a European superstate.

The book "The Great European Rip-off: How the Corrupt, Wasteful EU is Taking Control" goes into a lot more detail on the above.

 

[Mulder]

Yes. Feel free to search for TTIP and my username in the advanced search. You'll find eg. links debunking the junk NHS scaremongering.

Have you only googled for "TTIP Debunked?" You will find whatever you are looking for, or however the old adage goes. Here's a summary of why so many people across the entire EU are against it:

The trade deal has seen a huge public backlash across the EU and, notably, online. 38 Degrees, a pressure group, has carried out a sustained campaign against it, and has gathered more than two million signatures on its petition.

Opponents argue that it could lead to the privatisation of the NHS because the treaty includes 'market access' which bans state monopolies – including public services run by the state.

Part of the agreement would allow big companies to take the government to court – in secret. Many argue that it represents a threat to democracy.
This refers to the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which allows companies to take legal action against countries they perceive to be hindering potential profits.

These kinds of cases are increasing in number. Opponents argue that the ISDS can deter governments from enacting policies to benefit the environment, for example, in case they trigger an ISDS action from a foreign company.

The German government, for example, shut down its nuclear power industry after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011. Due to an ISDS clause in a treaty covering energy investments, Vattenfall, a Swedish utility that operates two nuclear plants in Germany, was able to demand compensation of €3.7bn from the government.

The ISDS mechanism was originally conceived as a means of encouraging companies to invest in countries where they might not expect to get a fair hearing in court if should there be a legal dispute. The hearings are not held in court but judged by three arbitrators

Environmental campaigners have raised concerns: TTIP would bring the EU's food and environmental safety regulations in line with the US's less strict laws.

In order to align the EU and laxer US rules, the agreement could weaken European and UK regulation in areas including genetically modified crops, chemicals in cosmetics and meat treated with growth hormones. There is widespread opposition to this environmental aspect of the treaty, especially in Germany and France which are major opponents of genetically modified products.

 

[glenimp617]

Weirdly I asked 20 people in our office and it was a straight 50/50 split

There's not really much point in us voting really, as we will cancel each other out

 

[Nate--IRL--]

Have you only googled for "TTIP Debunked?" You will find whatever you are looking for, or however the old adage goes. Here's a summary of why so many people across the entire EU are against it:

Interesting. I am guessing the UK, after it leaves, will be able to negotiate a trade deal with the US, that satisfies the UKs needs without any of the above?

Nate

 

[Insanties_birth]

Interesting. I am guessing the UK, after it leaves, will be able to negotiate a trade deal with the US, that satisfies the UKs needs without any of the above?

Nate

Well they'd either negotiate to manage it closer to what we need or not sign up to it. No different to EU except we're not likely to be out voted by other countries. Bit of a daft question really but it a trade agreement so there could be some compromise but equally it's less likely well sign up to it just to please eu allies if we were going it alone.

 

[Mulder]

Interesting. I am guessing the UK, after it leaves, will be able to negotiate a trade deal with the US, that satisfies the UKs needs without any of the above?

Nate

No idea, you can't predict the outcome of negotiations. But I'd rather it be up to the British Government to negotiate on our behalf, and in our best interests, than be dragged into a corporate-eurocrat power grab against our will and against our interests. Despite what lame duck Obama says there would be pressure to get a US/UK deal in place, Britain and the US do a huge amount of trade with each other.