Brexit Questionnaire - General Election 2017

Please mark ‘X’ against what you see as the most appropriate answer to each question. (There are no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ answers, but leave blank if you can’t decide).

Please return your questionnaire a.s.a.p, ideally to reach us by 11 June.

Email: qa@newalliance.org.uk

Individual responses kept confidential

Any comments welcome.

Those wishing to distribute original paper copies (for friends etc. to complete) can use www.newalliance.org.uk/qa17.pdf

(Also available as a simple text file: www.newalliance.org.uk/qa17.txt )

Q1: The UK will leave the EU?

To plan. January-April 2019…

After then, but in the next Parliament (i.e. 2019-2022)…

After 2022 – more than 5 years away...

Not in the foreseeable future...

Before 2019, as negotiations will break down...

Q2: What does PM Theresa May personally feel about the EU?

She is a dyed-in-the-wool Europhile…

She supported being in as part of her job, but has no great feeling about it...

Experience showed that she disliked the EU as much as anyone else…

Q3: May’s current attitude towards Brexit is best summed up…?

Enthusiastic about exploiting Brexit opportunities…

As a democrat, she accepts Brexit and will quietly see it through...

Not motivated, consequently Brexit will either be delayed or botched...

Q4: In negotiations, the UK government is likely to give the highest priority to …?

Being able to reduce immigration...

Keeping trade (goods/services) flowing...

Being able to strike wider international trade deals...

Paying as little as possible to the EU…

Maintaining a close future working relationship with the EU...

Safeguarding the rights of British expats (and EU nationals)…

Avoiding the European Court of Justice restricting national sovereignty in whatever future relationship….

Q5: Other EU members are reported to want large sums of money for Brexit. Their attitude is really…?

Exaggerated. They know they won’t get it, but they can drop the demand in the hope of getting other concessions...

Moderate. They want to make up the budget shortfall, but don’t want to make the UK walk away…

Tough. They think that the UK will pay up so are after as much money as they can get...

Obsessive. They will ask for an impossible sum to discourage either the UK or others from leaving...

Q6: As part of the Brexit agreement, the UK will end up paying…?

Nothing. We’ll just walk away…

Nothing, as we won’t be leaving…

Selectively. Only for the programmes we want to join in, e.g. Horizon R&D or the Open Skies aviation agreement...

Substantially. We will have to pay to secure a worthwhile deal, but will beat the EU down a bit on the actual sum...

Exorbitantly. To avoid political and economic consequences, the UK will have to pay more or less what the EU demands to secure a deal of any sort. The government will simply cave in …

Q7: Thinking of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. In practice, the other EU leaders will be …?

Generous. They accept we’re leaving. They will want the best possible working relationship with us, minimising damage to both sides….

Balanced, They will want concessions / safeguards in some areas, but will let us have some gains, albeit at a price…

Pushy. They feel that they hold the ace cards and that we will have no choice but to pay a high price for what we want…

Punishing. They are not particularly bothered about their future relations with us. They will try to force a bad deal on us and will be unconcerned if their interests suffer too…

Q8: The economic consequences of Brexit are likely to be …?

Not applicable, we won’t be leaving…

Minimal. There might be a bit of extra bureaucracy and a few jobs moving abroad, but trade will overwhelmingly continue as at present…

Moderate. The UK will be worse off in some sectors and some firms might move, but the UK economy will still grow....

Significant. The UK will face major barriers to trade, a run on Sterling and the danger of recession...

Miraculous. Despite the loss of concessions from the EU, the UK economy will adapt by sharpening its competitiveness and soon prove more attractive for trade and investment than what’s left of the EU…