Ipsos-MORI have been carrying out regular monthly polling since 2007 asking various questions including this one: What would you say is the most important issue facing Britain today? Europe really didn't figure prominently up to about 2012 (HERE), before that rarely did more than 3-4% of the electorate think it was important. In fact in 2008 just after the Lisbon Treaty was signed for example the number of people thinking it was an issue never got over 4% and was usually 2-3%.
Crime for example, quite often reached 40% and was never below 30%, so clearly far more important to the average voter. Even as late as 2015 Europe was only seen by about 10% of people as important.
But now in September 2018 a huge 59% think that Brexit is the biggest and most important issue facing the country (HERE).
I confess to finding this almost incredible. How a matter of almost zero importance five or six years ago has divided us and grown to become the greatest issue of the time and perhaps the gravest threat to this country - when almost nothing has actually changed in the intervening period. Did Brussels force us to kill the first born? Err No. Was there any contentious legislation passed between 2012 and 2016? Not that I can recall.
It seems to me that either Europe was a massive problem that we simply didn't recognise at the time or we now believe the EU is the underlying problem to all the others. That or we have allowed ourselves to become exercised about a problem that doesn't exist. I think that latter.
It seems to me that either Europe was a massive problem that we simply didn't recognise at the time or we now believe the EU is the underlying problem to all the others. That or we have allowed ourselves to become exercised about a problem that doesn't exist. I think that latter.
The nation appears to have got caught up in the psycho drama being played out in the Conservative party.
