Britons reject Blair's closeness to the US

Anthony Butcher · 17-11-2004, 03:00 AM

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/pol...p?story=583687

Quote:

Tony Blair's "shoulder to shoulder" support for America is rejected today by a majority of British people, who believe it is more important to have good relations with European countries.

A poll by NOP for The Independent found that 64 per cent of people think that having good relations with Britain's European Union partners is more important than with the United States, while only 25 per cent believe the relationship with the US should take priority.

The findings are a setback to Mr Blair and may embarrass him on the eve of tomorrow's visit to Britain by Jacques Chirac, the French President, who wants Europe to become an alternative centre of power to America. Although Mr Blair is determined to act as a "bridge" between the US and EU, he vowed during a visit to Washington last week that Britain's strong bond with America would continue for as long as he remained Prime Minister.

mkpdavies · 17-11-2004, 09:13 AM

I don't believe this for one minute. People very much have this shabby war in Iraq on their mind at the moment. If push came to shove though, I don't know anyone who doesn't want to keep our strong links with the USA. Obviously we also want to stay friends and partners with the Europeans, just like we have always done. This doesn't mean we want to be them though, which is what selling out to the EU will mean.

Sciurus · 17-11-2004, 10:07 AM

Opinion polls tend to be written with an end result in mind, and the way the questions are worded will draw the respondent to produce the answers required.

It's perfectly possible to ask virtually the same questions and get two different sets of responses.

Reputable companies are aware of this and are very careful regarding the questionnaires they present, but they are paid to do this by customers who may be more partisan.

Public perception of Blair's support for the US is coloured by their perception of a politician who has refused to accept responsibility for his actions on numerous occasions, and who has a chameleon tendency to metamorphose his message INTO phpbb_whatever form he feels will keep him in power the longest.

There is also a growing concern regarding the Bush administration, and the fact that our troops are dying unnecessarily to produce the right presidential election result has not gone unnoticed.

kernow · 17-11-2004, 10:51 AM

I wouldn't need any pushing or shoving, I much prefer 'Cousin Jack' across the pond to our so called "partners" across the channel.

17-11-2004, 09:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 30,832 Party: Libertarian Party	I don't believe this for one minute. People very much have this shabby war in Iraq on their mind at the moment. If push came to shove though, I don't know anyone who doesn't want to keep our strong links with the USA. Obviously we also want to stay friends and partners with the Europeans, just like we have always done. This doesn't mean we want to be them though, which is what selling out to the EU will mean. __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

17-11-2004, 10:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
kernow Uber Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 5,182	International Politics I wouldn't need any pushing or shoving, I much prefer 'Cousin Jack' across the pond to our so called "partners" across the channel.

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17-11-2004, 10:07 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sciurus Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 66	Opinion polls tend to be written with an end result in mind, and the way the questions are worded will draw the respondent to produce the answers required. It's perfectly possible to ask virtually the same questions and get two different sets of responses. Reputable companies are aware of this and are very careful regarding the questionnaires they present, but they are paid to do this by customers who may be more partisan. Public perception of Blair's support for the US is coloured by their perception of a politician who has refused to accept responsibility for his actions on numerous occasions, and who has a chameleon tendency to metamorphose his message INTO phpbb_whatever form he feels will keep him in power the longest. There is also a growing concern regarding the Bush administration, and the fact that our troops are dying unnecessarily to produce the right presidential election result has not gone unnoticed.