LONDON: Britain enjoys far greater influence inside the European Union than its largely eurosceptic public believes, a pro-EU campaign group said yesterday, warning that any decision to leave the bloc would be a “suicidal indulgence”.
Presenting what it said would be an annual scorecard of Britain’s progress in Europe, British Influence said London was on track to meet nine out of 10 of its EU policy goals and was a force to be reckoned with in the 28-nation bloc.
“As our report today shows Britain often leads in Europe and could do so more often. Leaving seems like a suicidal indulgence,” said Peter Wilding, director of the group, which wants Britain to stay in a reformed EU.
“People could be proud to be part of Britain as a leader in Europe but, as far as they are concerned, Britain is a loser. This lack of clear leadership from the political elite and the lack of any balance from the media leave a sad picture.”
The scorecard, an attempt to influence Britain’s debate on its membership of the EU, comes as Prime Minister David Cameron struggles to unite his ruling Conservative party on the issue and as polls show the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) is set to do well in elections to the European Parliament in May.
Cameron has promised to try to renegotiate Britain’s EU ties if re-elected next year and then to give Britons an in/out EU membership referendum before the end of 2017. Many polls show a slim majority of Britons would, if given the chance, vote to leave because they are fed up with what they see as the EU’s overbearing influence. Britain’s other main political parties are not promising to hold such a referendum.
British Influence said its scorecard, based on a cross-party analysis of Britain’s progress across a range of EU policies in 2013, showed London had been successful in 20 areas and failed in only four. In a further 20 areas, the group said Britain had partially succeeded but that its gains could not be guaranteed.
Reuters
