The Bonk Of England Speaks

Mary Ellen Synon, once dubbed “The Bonk Of England” after her affair with deputy governor Rupert Pennant-Rea was said to have involved sex on the carpet in the Governor of the Bank of England’s dressing room, and who was binned by the Irish Independent after a particularly nasty attack on the Sydney Paralympic Games, is in a quandry about an EU related poll.

“71% of Britons want out of the EU: the eurocrats know it, but the Brits don't” she mused. So who reported on the poll to give those hated “eurocrats” the knowledge about it? That would be the Daily Express, and nobody else, and that should send a warning sign: that the title now known as The Daily UKIP reports something, but the equally Europhobic Mail and Telegraph do not, is significant.

So let’s check out where the poll originated: “The poll was commissioned by the very serious Bruges Group” tells Ms Synon, not telling her readers that this organisation is not even slightly serious, but a blatantly Europhobic source of screaming anti-EU propaganda. But never mind, the poll was carried out by Survation, a reputable pollster. So what was the question?

Here’s the preamble: “The European Economic Area (EEA) is the single market that allows for free movement of goods, services, people and capital between all participating European countries. There are two organisations which allow countries to access this EEA single market - the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The UK could remain a member of the single market if it left the EU and joined the EFTA. Unlike the EU, the EFTA does not involve itself in countries’ agriculture, fisheries, home affairs or justice policies, and allows countries to negotiate free trade agreements with any outside countries. The UK would have to adopt 60% fewer regulations and pay around £3bn less in budget contributions if it was in the EFTA instead of the EU, but would have less power to influence the rules of the single market”.

And here’s the question: “With this in mind, which would you prefer the UK to be a member of?” which answers everything. Respondents are offered a totally false prospectus and a shed load of bogus assumptions, are led to the desired answer, and give that desired answer. My only surprise is that the result was not even more decisive. But we do not have the choice of living in Fairy Dairy Land.

Plus, as any fule kno, copy like that from the Express, that talks of the UK becoming “like Norway” is total crap. Norway pays more per head to the EU than the UK does, and it’s not even a member state. The only regulations to which it isn’t signed up are for the single currency (ditto the UK) and agriculture and fisheries. The reality of the Bruges Group kite flying is nothing like the pre-question spiel.

But good to see The Bonk Of England still so prejudiced as to be deaf to reality.