A new Capacent Gallup poll found that only a quarter of respondents want Iceland to join the European Union, but many do not know why.
Gallup’s regular National Pulse Poll showed that 60 percent of Social Democrat voters want entry while 70-75 percent of Independence Party, Progressive Party and Left Green Movement voters are against EU entry.
RUV reports that opposition to Icelandic EU accession seems to have grown steadily since the economic collapse, although it is very difficult to compare different polls. One reason is that some ask opinions on Iceland entering the EU and other solicit opinions on Iceland applying to join.
This time, Gallup asked straight: “Are you for or against Icelandic entry into the EU?” 60 percent said they are against, 14 percent have yet to decide and 26 percent are for.
18 months ago, 64 percent of respondents told the same polling company they were in favour of starting EU accession talks. In February this year 33 percent favoured EU entry for Iceland. It is important to notice the two polls asked different questions.
Social Democrat voters are most enthusiastic about the EU followed by Left Green voters – although they are less than 50 percent. Progressive and Independence voters are most sceptical.
Pro-EU voices are drawing some cheer from the fact that less than half of respondents rated themselves as well acquainted with the pros and cons of EU membership.
It was also revealed that respondents do not trust Icelandic media to provide them with an unbiased account of the EU’s pros and cons for Iceland. Despite this, a majority also said they would like to hear more information about the EU on radio and TV.
>Pro-EU voices are drawing some cheer from the fact that less than half of respondents rated themselves as well acquainted with the pros and cons of EU membership.
it is not that they are in the dark. It is that the reasons for joining EU are not good ones.
If Social Democrats would make case for it they would have done so by now.
There aren’t good reasons for us to leave EFTA and join EU. That’s what this is really about.
Also about the popularity in the polls, it depends very much on the question that was asked.. This is true since polling on EU started ..
Polls asking if people wanted to start membership talks ( aðildarviðræður ) with the EU have almost always resulted in a majority in favour.
Polls asking if people wanted to apply for membership ( umsókn um aðild ) of the EU have almost always resulted in a majority against.
Polls asking if people wanted to join the EU have usually resulted in a 50/50 situation but it is much much less now Icleandic people have seen shenanigans of EU commission up close after last couple of years.
” The first two examples obviously contradict each other. But this has an explanation. For years people in favour of EU membership have claimed it was possible to enter some kind of a non-obligational “scouting talks” with the EU just to find out what kind of a deal Iceland would be able to get. ”
Obviously that’s not the way that application EU process works.
But EUphiles know it in their bones. It is more likely that UK will leave EU and join EFTA ( which UK founded ) than for Iceland to join the EU.
I would welcome Icelandic membership in the EU, I think Iceland becouse of its size in the world should think hard befour it rejects membership in the EU! It would be definitley in Icelandic intrests to join! That be said let them have the vote when all the talks are finishend and let them have an informed choice on the matter.
We keep saying this now for years already…here in the Northeast you can ask whoever you want…at least 8 out of 10 don’t have a basic idea about the EU and how it works! And no party in Iceland is doing anything to improve that! E.g. the Euro…most pro-EU voters think only about the Euro and not so much abouyt the EU itself and its political value. The fact that Iceland would not have the Euro for many, many years to come after a possible joining the EU, is something nobody seems to know or to realize and nobody of the parties here is stating that either.
The same old Icelandic game! the bifg decisiosn shall be made under cover or behind closed doors by only a few! They have not learned anything! time for pots and pans again! We should kick out one gov after the other…even for the pricze of political insatbility, but just a slong until we get a generation of politicians who have learned and understood to work FOR and WITH the people and only for there own good ort there party’s good.
+ At to UK leaving EU for EFTA I expect other EFTA states would welcome UK back with open arms.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100020456/ten-reasons-to-leave-the-eu/
There is no legal reason to stop it happeneing I know of — would like to hear any one knows different.
Of course it seems UK politicians are not yet listening hard enough to people of UK about this so I doubt any Westmindster politicans ( other than House of Lords ) will propose it.
yes the eu is just one big CON, don’t get sucked in by them.
A Long time Ago in a thread Far away+ Brumley did write:
>>[I Fisy wrote ] But it is for sure that it is more likely the UK will leave EU and rejoin EFTA than Iceland will leave EFTA to join EU.
>I’ve seen you say this before. IMO, it’s factually incorrect, in that there is little
>serious talk in the UK of leaving the EU (whether for EFTA of otherwise).
Right now as I write this the UK House of Commons are debating about a referendum on leaving the EU for EFTA or for a bilateral treaty with the EU.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8845541/EU-referendum-live.html
Even the Europhile Guardian ( paper of the left wing EUphile class in UK )does admit that 70% of voters want a vote on Britain’s EU membership and 49% said they want OUT of EU :
guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/24/eu-referendum-poll-uk-withdrawal?newsfeed=true
This is very much because of the work on rights of direct democracy by the new influx of MPs into UK parliament since last election such as Douglas Carswell (who did write with friend of Iceland Daniel Hannan so called founding works of this modern direct democracy ideas ).
Despite the 3 line whip ( heads of three main parties telling MPs to vote against having referendum) many MPs will rebel.
Do you think that it is not serious talk now, given that this specific issue is being debated in UK parliament and so many MPs will vote for it despite the huge pressure against them doing it ?
+http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/08/24/eu-sanctions-against-iceland-over-mackerel-dispute/#comment-542724
Brumley said then too :
>There’s a real, if small, chance that Iceland will join the EU.
>Therefore, it’s more likely that Iceland will join the EU than the UK leave it.
I have been posting results of polls here on IceNews for last three years and each time it becomes clearer and clearer that Iceleandic voters and tax payer are against leaving EFTA and to EU.
So given the obvious political push from the grass root voters in UK across party lines for a referendum to leave EU for EFTA do you want to with draw your statement you made?
>do you want to with draw your statement you made?
Not really. Would you really like me to?
I haven’t been following the EU vote much, as it appeared pretty meaningless to me. Shock! Much of the Conservative party would like to get out of Europe. Shock! Labour and the Lib Dems don’t want to.
Mind you, the developing Euro area crisis has no doubt swung the probabilities. So, okay, I won’t challenge your statement should you choose to make it again :) .