The EU Turns Voters On (Christchurch Liberal Democrats)

Christchurch Liberal Democrats <judysheppeard@qmail.com>

The EU Turns Voters On

September 20, 2009 12:00 AM
Originally published by Sir Graham Watson MEP

Graham Watson MEP South West Euro-MP Graham Watson today told a fringe meeting at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth that engaging with Europe was popular with voters, although hard work needs to be done to confront myths spread by Eurosceptics.

Stats that show more than 70% of Brits believe the EU has an important role to play in tackling some of the most serious issues we face. However, a staggering 97% overestimated what Britain pays to the EU by hundreds of billions of pounds.

Ahead of the meeting Watson said;

"People want to be in Europe. They care about climate change, cross-border crime and the state of our economy. They want to see Britain and her neighbours championing human rights together. Most of all, they know we cannot meet these challenges without the EU."

"However, myths spread by scaremongering groups like UKIP have taken their toll. Not enough is known about how the EU works, and the Government has failed to get the message out."

"We need to connect with the large numbers of British people who like the idea of Europe, but know little about it in practice. That is why you should expect to see me on a doorstep near you, very soon indeed."