[MadIvan]

All in all, the UK is turning around and facing the EU with a snarl. Lovely.

You can read more about the UKIP here:

The UK Independence Party
The 5 Essential Freedoms

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[Carcharodon]

The article should say England, not Britain. Ukip has had no success in Scotland.

[Dallas59]

Of course the EU Socialists will claim Bush has used the Dangerous American Brain Ray Machine on innocent Britains!

[Straight Vermonter]

Interesting how a true multi-party system makes as few as 20% of voters a powerful bloc who have a voice in guiding their nation.

[risk]

Most Europeans I know, including some Irish, are saying that the EU is a great idea and will just make everything easier. When I reveal my apprehension about loss of sovereignty they thumb their noses and say that I'm talking about Empire. It isn't all about convenience, though, is it? There are serious problems with the constitution, centralizing of authority, loss of true independence, and a homogenizing of culture coming with the EU. I'm interesting to hear your thoughts, MI. And it's great to see you back online. FR is all the better with you participating.

[OldFriend]

If they are unable to report poll results, how is it that they are allowed to report 'forecasts'.....or are they like our own media?

[ScaniaBoy]

Twenty percent for the UKIP would be a great result.

It may well have far reaching effects on the European politics in general. The 17-18th June the leaders of the EU nations are convening to try and get an agreement on the European "Constitution".

With Blair already having promised a referendum, and a dismal result for Labour and other eu-philes in the EU elections, even the eurocrats will find it impossible to find a compromise ("weasel wording") that would allow Blair to win a referendum.

If Britain is seen to say no, that will add increased impetus to skeptics in other countries. Denmark will have a referendum and they will most likely vote a resounding no. Also, the Dutch are going to have referendum and it is not at all certain that they will accept a further devolution of powers to the EU. There are other countries as well (Poland, the Czechs come to mind) where a referendum would result in no.

So, as I see it the eucrates have two possibilities; either scrap the constitution, but that would lead to increased call for a repeal of the acquis communitaire (ie more power to the nations), or they try to force through a constitution against the will of the peoples in many EU nations. That will lead to a political crisis, which may end up with a core EU, probably consisting of France, Germany, Belgium, and maybe Luxembourg and Italy. The rest of the countries will be loosely associated in a some kind of looser connection like Norway and Switzerland are now.

I also hope this will help the eu-skeptics in the Tory party to gain the upper hand - and to reintroduce free market thinking and belief in Britain in the Tory party.

No more "Heaths" or "Majors", please.

ScaniaBoy

[VaBthang4]

Ivan forgive me for having to ask but I have had a difficult time discerning exactly what this all means to Conservatives.

What is the big pictures here?
Have 'Conservatives' [I don't know the party affiliations] taken power?
Is everything basically the same with some small shifts?

What's really going on here?

[Dog Gone]

I've never completely understood the structure of the U.K. The best I can tell, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England are something equivalent to our various US states, but every now and then something comes up that indicates more autonomy.

I don't get it.