International Herald Tribune
The EU?
Poll Finds Public Skeptical and Indifferent

Barry James
’01.07.20

PARIS A Europe-wide poll shows, and government ministers confirm, that the European Union faces strong public skepticism and indifference as it prepares to adopt a single currency in less than six months.
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The Eurobarometer poll released this week indicates that well over half of all Europeans consider themselves badly informed about major European issues such as the adoption of the euro or the proposed enlargement of the EU. More than 40 percent of the 16,000 people who took part said they had read, heard or seen nothing about the Nice Treaty adopted last year, which was intended to prepare the way for enlargement.
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The survey shows that only 54 percent of Europeans think that membership in the EU is a good thing and that about the same percentage has any trust in the European Commission, the EU's executive body. The number of people who believe that they personally benefit from membership in the EU has declined in virtually every country.
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Foreign ministers acknowledged in an open public debate in Brussels this week that an abyss had opened up between European citizens and their institutions. The president of the EU Council of Ministers, Louis Michel of Belgium, said that many Europeans perceived of institutions such as the commission as being "isolated and insensitive" and even as an enemy.
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Of course, many Americans, too, distrust or dislike U.S. federal institutions. What marks the situation in Europe is indifference. As leaders are increasingly cut off from the public behind massive security barriers - such as at the G-8 summit meeting this weekend in Genoa – the EU is increasingly seen as a "distant, insensitive machinery," said Pierre Moscovici, the French minister for Europe. Not even 10 percent of European citizens pay any heed to EU politics, said Christoph Zopel deputy German foreign minister.
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Commission officials are deeply concerned about the indifference and hostility because of the negative effect this could have on the start-up of the common currency in January. No one seems to know what to do about the problem.
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The commission appears to be constitutionally incapable of using language that ordinary people can understand. Officials, for example, blithely use expressions like "aquis communautaire" to refer to the collected body of EU laws.
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Peter Hain, the new British minister for Europe, appealed in a newspaper article this week for the commission and other EU politicians to stop speaking in language that "is virtually unintelligible to a new Europe minister like me, let alone an average voter."
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Mr. Michel told the European Parliament, however, that "we cannot simply rebuild Europe's image by hiring spin doctors." He said it was frustrating to see real achievements of integration largely forgotten in the current debate.
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"It is high time we remembered that Europe stands for peace," he said. "We must trumpet the fact that European integration is all about bringing men and women from different countries together for a common cause, making them aware of what united them and giving them a shared destiny."
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Mr. Michel argued that Europeans needed to see the EU achieve concrete goals that responded to their everyday needs, such as the setting up of a food safety authority, or concrete measures to solve the problem of air traffic delays.
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To be fair, Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission, has consistently made the same point. But every time government leaders meet at a summit conference, they seemingly procrastinate or haggle over details.
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The Eurobarometer poll showed pro-EU sentiment lowest in Britain at 29 percent. It found support for the EU strongest in Ireland at 72 percent - a paradox because Irish voters recently opposed the Nice Treaty in a referendum.

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COMMENTS
Paragraph by paragraph:

PARIS A Europe-wide poll shows, and government ministers confirm, that the European Union faces strong public skepticism and indifference as it prepares to adopt a single currency in less than six months.

What they fail to address is the strength of hatred to be found amongst many of the so-called ‘sceptics’. An indication of the general antipathy is the fact that the British Government is supported by less than 1 in 4 of the electorate.

The Eurobarometer poll released this week indicates that well over half of all Europeans consider themselves badly informed about major European issues such as the adoption of the euro or the proposed enlargement of the EU. More than 40 percent of the 16,000 people who took part said they had read, heard or seen nothing about the Nice Treaty adopted last year, which was intended to prepare the way for enlargement.

This is an astonishing admission of failure by the EU when you realise that they have spent so many Billions of Pounds of tax payers money on propaganda.

The survey shows that only 54 percent of Europeans think that membership in the EU is a good thing and that about the same percentage has any trust in the European Commission, the EU's executive body. The number of people who believe that they personally benefit from membership in the EU has declined in virtually every country.

It is my belief that if the truth was known and they had not invested so many Billions in bribery and propaganda they would be hard pressed to find a single honest individual in the whole of the EU who supported the corrupt and profligate concept.

Foreign ministers acknowledged in an open public debate in Brussels this week that an abyss had opened up between European citizens and their institutions. The president of the EU Council of Ministers, Louis Michel of Belgium, said that many Europeans perceived of institutions such as the commission as being "isolated and insensitive" and even as an enemy.

This is NOT an abyss that has ‘opened’ there is NO conection between the aspirations of the peoples and that which the politicians and their apparatchiks are trying to force on them. There is no doubt that the centralised, dishonest and undemocratic EU is the Enemy of the peoples they seek to enslave and control.

Of course, many Americans, too, distrust or dislike U.S. federal institutions. What marks the situation in Europe is indifference. As leaders are increasingly cut off from the public behind massive security barriers - such as at the G-8 summit meeting this weekend in Genoa – the EU is increasingly seen as a "distant, insensitive machinery," said Pierre Moscovici, the French minister for Europe. Not even 10 percent of European citizens pay any heed to EU politics, said Christoph Zopel deputy German foreign minister.

The difference between the Federal Institutions of the US and those of the EU, relative to the peoples, is that the American Government Governs the American peoples. The EU Government is a Foreign and Alien Government to ALL the Countries they seek to Govern and destroy and thus is hated by the peoples, with every justification.

Commission officials are deeply concerned about the indifference and hostility because of the negative effect this could have on the start-up of the common currency in January. No one seems to know what to do about the problem.

It would not be unreasonable to say that the respect individuals have for their own Nation’s currency is most readily shown by the openly stated opinion right across the EU, firstly that they do not believe that the Euro will prosper and secondly that they hope it collapses.

The commission appears to be constitutionally incapable of using language that ordinary people can understand. Officials, for example, blithely use expressions like "aquis communautaire" to refer to the collected body of EU laws.

This is, quite rightly in my opinion, nothing more than an ‘insiders code’ to hide their total incompetence.

Peter Hain, the new British minister for Europe, appealed in a newspaper article this week for the commission and other EU politicians to stop speaking in language that "is virtually unintelligible to a new Europe minister like me, let alone an average voter."

How clearly would Mr. Hain like it? Mr Hain is just a dishonest, grubby little sleeze – which word does he not understand. A man who wrote a book condemning devolution but in return for preferment campaigned for devolution. A man, who as a Government Minister, was promoting minimum wages whilst being found guilty of paying his secretary £15 a week and having his office fraudulently fiddle her state benefits. This man will go far in the EU he has learned their integrity standards well.

Mr. Michel told the European Parliament, however, that "we cannot simply rebuild Europe's image by hiring spin doctors." He said it was frustrating to see real achievements of integration largely forgotten in the current debate.

Mr Michel is half right – they could NOT rebuild the EU’s image. He claims real achievements which is where he is 100% wrong the EU has not one single achievement which it could be proud of in 50 years – it is a total failure in EVERY aspect save its own perpetuation.

"It is high time we remembered that Europe stands for peace," he said. "We must trumpet the fact that European integration is all about bringing men and women from different countries together for a common cause, making them aware of what united them and giving them a shared destiny."

This is an asinine display of total lack of understanding of peoples. There is no force in Europe more likely than to cause bloodshed than the EU – nothing has done more to divide peoples than the EU in the last 50 years. The closer they force people together on paper the greater the distances they create as people endeavour to retain dignity and freedom.

Mr. Michel argued that Europeans needed to see the EU achieve concrete goals that responded to their everyday needs, such as the setting up of a food safety authority, or concrete measures to solve the problem of air traffic delays.

This shows how out of touch the EU is with the peoples – air traffic delays can not possibly feature in the top 100 concerns of the peoples of Europe or even the EU. The imbecilic rules and regulations of the EU have given rise to more food safety breakdowns than ever before. It is hardly surprising that food safety is dropping due to thew EU when they expect food to be trucked 1,000s of miles when previously it travelled 10s of miles.

To be fair, Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission, has consistently made the same point. But every time government leaders meet at a summit conference, they seemingly procrastinate or haggle over details.

Romano Prodi was a failed Italian Politician parachuted in to head a Commission of puppets replacing the previous committee who had been forced out of their job due to endemic corruption. One must feel sorry for this little man so obviously incompetent for the job.

The Eurobarometer poll showed pro-EU sentiment lowest in Britain at 29 percent. It found support for the EU strongest in Ireland at 72 percent - a paradox because Irish voters recently opposed the Nice Treaty in a referendum.

The entirety of the EU concept is a paradox – a dishonesty and a farce of mindblowing proportions, founded on obscene ambitions and propped up by massive bribery, immense taxation and propaganda spin of stunning proportions.

Greg Lance – Watkins

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