Pro EU Lobby Group Calls Euroscepticism A 'Disease'

A pro European Union pressure group led by cabinet minister Kenneth Clarke, former EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has described euroscepticism as a ‘disease’ in a blog post on its website.

‘British Influence’ – which campaigns strenuously for Britain’s continued membership of the European Union – published an article by a writer called Nick Hopkinson, which claims “Doctors are warning about the outbreak of a spreading disease called Euroscepticism which surveys show affect 39% of the UK population”.

The offensive article was uploaded yesterday, March 11th, by the group’s campaign director Joe Coney. It snipes at the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and seeks to undermine 39 percent of Britons who regard Britain’s continued membership of the European Union as untenable. The figures lean heavily on a new YouGov poll that claims that more Brits want to stay in the EU than want to leave.

The article states: 

“It is prevalent amongst tabloid newspaper readers who readily believe misleading and untrue stories about Europe, those sentimental about an idealised British past which never existed, men who want the other half of the population to protect their virtue by cleaning under fridges, and men in pin-stripped suits who want to end gun control and like being filmed smoking cigarettes with a pint in pubs.

…

“Mental health professionals are therefore urgently recommending the public to take a reality check, and spend 30 minutes a week exercising their eyes over facts, rather than fiction, about the European Union. Campaigners are also urging political leaders to start telling the truth about Europe.”

Campaigners have told Breitbart London of their disgust at the article. When asked as to whether he thought the British Influence director Joe Coney should resign, Rory Broomfield of the eurosceptic Better Off Out campaign said: “I am quite happy for people like Joe Coney to remain at British Influence. The more people like him they employ, the easier it is for us to make the Euro-sceptic case”.

Broomfield added that the author of the piece, Nick Hopkinson, should bear responsibility for the article.

Gawain Towler, a UKIP candidate for the European elections in May, told Breitbart London: “If British Influence would like to indulge in comedy then I suggest that they find find their belly laughs in the ‘chortle’ undemocratic ways of the European Commission, the ‘Ho Ho’ of spending £50 million a day on its myriad schemes, a ‘guffaw’ on its failing economic model, and a ‘whoop’ on its drive for lowest common homogenisation. 

“I would say don’t give up the day job, but then looking at the day job, I’m at a loss.”