Courtesy of Mish.
In the Brexit battle, yet another poll shows “leave” gaining ground. Those previously sitting on the fence are breaking for “get me the hell out of here” in a big way.
Leave Takes Three Percentage Point Lead
The Guardian reports Poll Gives Brexit Campaign Lead of Three Percentage Points.
The leave campaign has picked up momentum and taken a three-point lead over remain in the latest Observer/Opinium poll on the EU referendum. The Brexiters now stand on 43%, while 40% say they support the campaign to keep the UK in the union.
The poll suggests the remain camp has lost four percentage points in the last two weeks, during which Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have relentlessly campaigned on the theme of immigration.
The potential in the leave campaign’s strategy is reflected in responses suggesting that two in five voters (41%) cite immigration as one of their two most important issues when deciding how to vote. Just over a third (35%) cite Britain’s ability to make its own laws without EU interference and 29% cite the impact of leaving on the UK economy.
Johnson is expected to launch a campaign to highlight the security dangers of EU membership, including the possibility of Turkey’s accession to the EU, this weekend.
However, the leave campaign also believes that, if it can keep the headline polls close, a relatively poor turnout among Labour voters who support remain could deliver it victory.The findings came as Johnson, who has been posing increasingly as a prime minister in waiting, told the Observer that he believed no genuine “liberal internationalist” could support the EU.
The former mayor of London joined forces with Gove, the justice secretary, to suggest that a vote for Brexit could deliver improved social justice.
Opinium said a move to leave had also been reflected in answers to their so-called “nudge” question, which asks those who do not yet know how they will vote in what direction they are leaning. In the last Opinium survey two weeks ago, those split 55% leaning to remain and 32% leaning towards leave.
In the latest survey, the gap has narrowed dramatically, with 36% leaning towards remain and 33% towards leave, even when the methodological updates were implemented. When those who did not know were forced to choose, 47% said they leaned more towards remain, while 32% leaned more towards leave.
Gove and Johnson Tell Cameron “You’ve Deceived the Public”
The Telegraph reports Michael Gove and Boris Johnson Tell David Cameron: You’ve Deceived Public on Economy
Voters “cannot trust” David Cameron and George Osborne to honour their promises on Europe, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson have warned in an extraordinary attack on their government colleagues.
The leaders of the Vote Leave campaign declare that the Prime Minister has put the British economy in “severe danger” by giving away the UK’s veto during talks in Brussels earlier this year.
They say Mr Cameron’s renegotiation of Britain’s European Union membership leaves Britain “dangerously and permanently exposed” to being forced to hand over more money and accept “damaging new laws”.
“The public cannot trust EU or government promises that we won’t be paying for eurozone bail-outs given the history and how we can be outvoted.”
Mr Gove, the Justice Secretary, and Mr Johnson, the former mayor of London, escalate their war with the Conservative leadership in a detailed, five-page letter addressed directly to Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne, the Chancellor.
The letter follows a dramatic week that boosted the confidence of Leave campaigners, with a series of polls putting them ahead in the battle over Britain’s future in Europe.
For those still sitting on the fence, I offer the following three thoughts.
1. Get Me the Hell Out of Here
2. Take Back Control
