Britain's campaign to leave EU takes 4 percent point lead: ORB poll

[Little Tich]

Source: Reuters

The campaign to take Britain out of the European Union in a June 23 referendum has taken a 4 percentage-point lead, according to an online survey taken by the ORB pollster for The Independent newspaper published on Friday.

The poll, carried out on Feb. 24-25, showed support for the "out" campaign had risen to 52 percent from 48 percent a month ago, while support for the "in" campaign had fallen to 48 percent from 52 percent a month ago.

"Since last month we have seen a shift in opinion towards Brexit," Johnny Heald, managing director of ORB International, said in an email.

London Mayor Boris Johnson defied Prime Minister David Cameron last weekend and said he would campaign to leave the EU, but 60 percent of respondents in the ORB poll said Johnson's decision made them no more likely to vote to ditch membership.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-poll-idUSKCN0VZ2RS

[dorkzilla]

1. You have to wonder if this was always in mind

and that's why they kept their own currency. I feel REALLY bad for Boris right now...he's taking quite the pounding right now.

[Helen Borg]

3. Boris is a clown... Good he is taking a beating.

He should just shut up.

[dorkzilla]

4. Oh he's a clown alright

I find him a comic figure though, I just picture him with his rucksack and bicycle sadly cycling away from #10...but then again I don't have to live in London so I guess it's easier for me to feel some sympathy for him.

[FairWinds]

2. I recall when Quebec voted on secession in 1995 . .

school kids are over Canada wrote to ask them to stay . .

In the case of the UK, I wonder if the reaction will be . .

Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!!

In many respects they have been nothing but a pain in
the kiester for the EU for a long time . .

[MowCowWhoHow III]

5. EU pauses plans to ban super-strength kettles out of fear it would drive tea loving Britons 2 Brexit

EU pauses plans to ban super-strength kettles out of fear it would drive tea loving Britons towards Brexit

A ban on super-strength kettles has been put on hold amid fears that it could drive Britain to leave the EU, it has been reported. The European Commission had been planning a number of measures to ban high energy appliances for environmental reasons. However it has now quietly shelved the ban due to concerns that backlash in Britain could drive the country towards a Brexit, The Financial Times reports.

The ban would have applied to a number of high powered household appliances which are much loved in the UK, including kettles and toasters. A senior EU official has reportedly said that the commission has paused plans to introduce the rules to be “sensitive to the British obsession with water kettles.”

The UK is known internationally for its affection for tea. The average Briton drinks 3 and a half cups of tea per day. Collectively, the UK drinks 62 billion cups per year.

The country is also home to a phenomenon known as ‘kettle surges’ whereby electricity demand spikes in conjunction with ad breaks during popular TV shows, as viewers get up from their sofas to make a cup of tea. The National Grid works to anticipate when these surges will occur throughout the year, with particular hot spots being during Wimbledon finals and Strictly Come Dancing finals as viewers reach for the tea bags.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-pauses-plans-to-ban-super-strength-kettles-out-of-fear-it-would-drive-tea-loving-britons-towards-a6899551.html

[pampango]

7. Postpone an environmental law in order to keep the conservatives in the UK happy?

That sounds like a hopeless task.

UK conservatives want out of the EU precisely because of its environmental standards, as well as its social protections and labor rights. Postponing a ban on "super-strength" kettles is hardly going to convince any of these conservatives to change their mind.

Thanks for injecting some humor into the situation, MowCowWhoHow III.

[Nye Bevan]

8. You can take away Brits' super-strength kettles when you pry them

from their cold dead tea-drinking hands.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Meh - there's still a lot of variation in the polls

Wikipedia may the the best for keeping up with new polls:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum#2016

The most recent YouGov poll was 37% remain, 38% leave, but that was compared to a 36% remain/45% leave YouGov result from before the agreement had been announced. We need another round of polls from after the agreement to get a better idea, and to know how many say they're undecided (which ORB stripped out).