Looks like tone has troubles ahead!!

[may18]

Britain reject more power to Brussels

51% reject more powers for Brussels Jun 1 2003

More than half of voters believe Britain should quit the European Union rather than accept a constitution which transfers more powers from Westminster to Brussels, according to a new poll.

The survey, for the Mail on Sunday, gave overwhelming backing to demands for a referendum on the draft constitution produced by Valery Giscard d'Estaing's Convention on the Future of Europe.

Tony Blair has dismissed calls for a referendum, accusing those demanding one of pursuing a secret agenda to promote British withdrawal from the EU.

In a passionately pro-European speech in Warsaw on Friday, the Prime Minister warned that quitting the Union would be "disastrous" for the UK.

But some 51% of those polled by YouGov said that withdrawal was preferable to the surrender of further powers to Brussels, against 29% who said Britain should accept a loss of power in order to stay in.

Only 18% accepted Mr Blair's argument that it should be Parliament that decides on whether the UK ratifies the treaty, with 75% insisting the question should be put to a referendum, as Tories demand.

Meanwhile, a separate poll for the Sunday Mirror suggested that almost one in three voters (31%) want to leave the EU, compared to 60% who think the UK should stay inside.

The ICM poll found that 60% would reject the euro in a referendum, even if Mr Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown said the conditions for entry were right, against just 33% who would opt to scrap the pound.

Mr Brown is due to announce on June 9 whether the Government will recommend euro entry, and while his judgment is expected to be negative, it is thought possible he will leave the door open for a poll within this Parliament.

A large majority of those surveyed (71%) said a referendum should be held within the next two years, rather than be put off until after the General Election.

_______

By Toby Helm, Chief Political Correspondent
(Filed: 30/05/2003)


The first signs of a solidly-based Tory recovery for a decade are revealed today in an opinion poll that shows a collapse of trust in Tony Blair is beginning to hurt Labour.

A YouGov survey for The Telegraph puts the Conservatives just one point behind Labour, their highest poll rating since 1992 apart from a blip during the fuel crisis in the autumn of 2000.

The results are a further shot in the arm for Iain Duncan Smith four weeks after the Conservatives gained 561 council seats to become the largest party in local government in England. Tory strategists insisted last night that they still had much to do but claimed that policies on university funding, taxation and Europe were striking a chord with voters.

For the first time since Mr Duncan Smith became leader in September 2001, more voters - 19 per cent - believe he would be a better prime minister than the 15 per cent who back Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader.


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The Tories also lie just one point behind Labour on the issue of economic competence, one of Labour's strongest cards at the 2001 general election. The findings will cause alarm in Labour ranks at a time when Mr Blair is under pressure from his backbenchers and the party rank and file to explain why no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq.

The YouGov survey puts Labour on 37 per cent, down three points, the Conservatives on 36 per cent, up four per cent, and the Liberal Democrats on 20 per cent, down one per cent.

A month ago, when the Government was enjoying a post-war rise in popularity - the so-called "Baghdad bounce" - the gap between Labour and Conservatives was eight points.

The Tories' recent pledge to abolish student tuition fees appears to be having a positive influence. Their proposals stand in contrast to Labour's plans to allow universities to charge up to £3,000 a year for courses.

Although 52 per cent of voters agreed that universities are "chronically underfunded", 43 per cent said they were "more sympathetic to the Conservatives" after their promise to scrap tuition fees. Among parents and students the figure was 53 per cent.

Even more worrying for Mr Blair is the dramatic fall in trust in his Government.

Just 29 per cent think that, on balance, the Government has been honest and trustworthy - almost half the level, 56 per cent, of the 2001 election. On the other hand, 62 per cent said it was not honest - more than double the 2001 level.

Mr Blair's personal ratings are also suffering - 38 per cent now think he would make the best prime minister, down five per cent on April and 14 per cent on 2001.

Strategists believe Labour's splits over the euro are harming the party in the same way that divisions dented Tory popularity during the later years of John Major's premiership.

Labour officials point out that the party is, in historical terms, still in a remarkably strong mid-term position. Most governing parties languish well behind the Opposition in mid-term. To maintain the momentum, Mr Duncan Smith is planning a major speech - entitled New Europe: Old Europe - next month in which he will outline his thinking on Britain's relations with the EU and Europe's relationship with America.

One aide to Mr Duncan Smith said the party was finally getting its ideas across. He said: "It's one thing to have the policies, quite another to communicate them. We are beginning to do that."

[Mike]

Ian Duncan Who.. ..for Christ's sake the tories need some one with a little bit more charisma then I.D.S. But if needs be and to stay out of Europe I will vote for the one politician who is going to give us he goods.
Aye

[may18]

im no great fan of IDS, but ill vote for him to get out of europe

i think half of ids problem to be fair is the media constantly saying he is unelectable

[El Prez]

May, IDS has the charisma of a Trabant, and about as much pulling power. I'd only follow him out of curiosity, and believe they must ditch him for someone we can get behind. Letwin is a joke, Portillo is out of it and quiet (waiting?), Clarke is history. Anybody any ideas?

President to PM is a sideways move, but I'd give it a crack, just to get a chance to change the penal system. One strike and you're dust!

[Artist]

Clone Winston Churchill and try again Tory party. If not find and get someone with the guts and the personna to make a difference!

Maggie had bigger Boll*cks than any of the narrow minded/grey suited gutless pratts who call themselves MP's in the Conservative party!

Aye Artist

[may18]

personally i was a fan of maggie in her early days, tho she lost her way somewhat

[Tab]

Did any one see the article in the Telegraph over the weekend where the former Prime Minister of Italy said " This new treaty we have a massive effect on all the countries in Europe and Mr Blair saying it is just tidying the thing up is lieing through his teeth to stop the British people finding out just how much their lifes are going to change".

[may18]

yes i did tab

basically the italian said blair is lying to us

now theres a surprise

[Guest]

Bring out the heavies (!) in the Tory party.........

........ANN WIDDECOMBE for leader, she is the sort of general I would follow, same stable as Maggie. I do think that El Tone is back pedaling and I feel that he will hand over the reins of power to Gordon Bennett Brown, he will of course say that they are half way through their term of office. That of course is pie in the sky, he will soldier on no matter what. As someone said on these forums he is a trained barrister and we all know what they are made of...............!

[lew]

I don’t know to much of politics so bare with me if this sounds silly, is it possible to pull out of this new idea after Blair has thrown us in if he isn’t re-elected???

P.s. I really don’t want to be apart of Europe in English first and British second and not in anyway European!!! And never will be!!!

[may18]

I don’t know to much of politics so bare with me if this sounds silly, is it possible to pull out of this new idea after Blair has thrown us in if he isn’t re-elected???

P.s. I really don’t want to be apart of Europe in English first and British second and not in anyway European!!! And never will be!!!

i believe according to the constitution blair is signing on our behalf we can pull out if 3/4 of members vote to give us permission to do so

[lew]

So if they decide NO, after we’ve been thrown in that’s it for us??? GREAT

[Guest]

I look at the history of this little old nation state of ours (the UK for the benefit of those overseas members) and whilst being ruled over the centuries by various European warriors pre 1066, I think we have done pretty good with the help of a few of our allies since then and really cannot see the need for change.

El Tone at the weekend said 'Tosh' to us driving on the right side of the road, I guess the same goes for not speaking French so why do we need the Euro, why did we have to change to metric, we still say MPH in place of KmPH, we still say a pint of beer or milk, we know how bleeding hot it is when someone says 89 degrees Fahrenheit, how many hectares..........what's a flipping hectare, I know an acre when I see one.

This guy is selling us down the river!......and fast