Voters say No to European constitution by two to one was: Re: Donner gek geworden! - ik mag niet meer naar Schiphol

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Henk Elegeert wrote:

> REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

> ... en die met diezelfde veroudere methoden aan de man
> schijnt te moeten worden gebracht. Niet de afweging van de
> burger zelf is uit gangspunt, maar zijn/haar vermeende
> ongelijk. Immers, Balkenende weet het (wel) beter!
> Er staat zelfs een potje klaar mocht die afweging niet naar
> de zin zijn, van die kwal en kampioen 'ontwijk de vraag',
> Balkenende.


Aanvullend,

Maar, er is nog hoop !!!

" Voters say No to European constitution by two to one
By Andrew Sparrow, Political Correspondent
(Filed: 29/01/2005)

Voters would reject the European constitution by a margin of
two to one, according to the first poll to use the question
the Government has chosen to put to the country.

A survey conducted since the wording was published on
Wednesday suggests that 45 per cent of the public would vote
against the constitution, with only 24 per cent in favour.


Tony Blair has staked his reputation on winning the
referendum, which is expected next spring if Labour wins the
general election.

The results of The Telegraph's YouGov poll show that he
faces an enormous challenge in trying to turn around public
opinion.

But they also indicate that a large part of the electorate
is open to persuasion.

Twenty five per cent of respondents said they did not know
how they would vote if they were forced to take a decision
tomorrow.

Only 51 per cent said they had made up their mind about the
constitution, which was agreed by European Union leaders
last summer. Others would make a final decision nearer the time.

Michael Ancram, the Conservative foreign affairs spokesman,
said his party was right to oppose the treaty setting up the
constitution.

"This underlines the very real and deserved mistrust of the
British people for this attempt to punch them into a
European super-state.

"We must continue to make the case against the constitution
to ensure the British people firmly consign it to the grave."

But Simon Hughes, the president of the pro-constitution
Liberal Democrats, insisted that the poll showed that the
Yes campaign could still win.

"There is probably one year to go before the referendum. The
more public debate there is, the more the pro-Europeans will
benefit.

"There is obviously a lot of work to be done and the
campaign needs to start now. But victory for the Yes
campaign is achievable."

Most polls over the past six months have shown a large
majority opposed to the constitution, which is intended to
provide the EU with a framework appropriate for an
organisation which now has 25 member states, instead of the
original six.

The YouGov survey is significant because it is the first to
put the question that will be used on referendum day:
"Should the United Kingdom approve the treaty establishing a
constitution for the European Union?"

Neil O'Brien, the campaign director for the Vote No
campaign, said the phrasing might explain the relatively
high number of don't knows.

"There is no sense in which the referendum is in the bag,"
he said. "I have always thought it is going to be closer
than a lot of people expect." But he pointed out that, on
the basis of the YouGov figures, the Government would have
to win over most of those in the undecided camp to have a
hope of winning.

He singled out the seven per cent of respondents who said
they would not vote.

"We think that any poll that offers a "would not vote"
option understates our support, because these people are
basically on our side and it is not realistic to think that
everyone else will vote. If they did, there would be a 93
per cent turnout."

The poll shows that most Tory voters oppose the
constitution. Among Labour and Lib Dem voters, there are
majorities in favour.

One particularly worrying feature for the Government is that
pro-constitution voters seem to be less committed than their
opponents.

Of those intending to vote No, 74 per cent said they had
definitely made up their minds. For Yes voters, the figure
was 69 per cent.

A spokesman for Britain in Europe said the poll showed there
would be "all to play for" in a referendum campaign.

Mr Blair, who opposed a referendum and only changed his mind
because he feared his refusal to consult the voters would
become an electoral issue, believes the constitution will
enable the EU to operate more effectively.

Critics claim it would create a super-state.

Ian Davidson, the chairman of Labour against the
Super-state, said: "We're glad there's a two to one majority
for our side. But there's no reason to be complacent.

"People are going to be flooded with taxpayer-funded
propaganda from the British Government and Brussels."
"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/29/neu29.xml
Telegraph | News | Voters say No to European constitution by
two to one

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