U.K. Labour urged to prepare alternatives to E.E.C.

Press, 6 December 1979, Page 9

U.K. Labour urged to prepare alternatives to E.E.C.

NZPA London] Britain’s place in the Common Market is again under the close scrutiny of the Opposition Labour Party. The dust barely settled from the Dublin summit meeting and Mrs Margaret Thatcher’s failed bid to cut Britain’s Community costs. Labour has moved closer to-1 wards endorsement of British withdrawal. The party’s powerful home ‘policy committee has set up a study of options for future (relations with the Community — including withdrawal !— and asked for a report of | alternative policies for Britlain.

i| The committee, headed by I the Left-wing leadership contender, Mr Tony Benn, is sending its views to the i party’s policy-forming national executive, of which ! Mr Benn is also a member, i along with Labour’s leader, ; Mr James Callaghan. Its resolution said that in , view of the Dublin summit (meeting’s failure to agree to j British demands, Britain [should immediately stop paying all European EconI omic Community taxes, and :[Ministers should stop going ( to Common Market meetf ings. Mr Benn said the decision to study withdrawal was a

,’development of an established party policy that had s said that if change was not! ■(achieved, the position should 1 ;'be reconsidered. i 1 The study would examine , j the implications of leaving: , i the E.E.C. which Britain • joined six years ago. Considt,eration would need to be t; given to transitional ar-' 5 ’ rangements and to alternat tive policies. > While Labour was making - its withdrawal noises, Mrs I Thatcher told the House of Commons that leaving the’ . nine-nation Community was i (out of the question. j The “Daily Telegraph”; ’•yesterday published a Gallup; II poll that showed that one in!

two people in Britain believes the country’s memberIship of the Community is a bad thing. j The vast majority think the Community is divided, (the poll showed, and about? j half the public believes itj would be relieved if told the E.E.C. had been scrapped. Fifty-five per cent of the 948 people polled thought British membership “a bad thing,” and 21 per cent thought it good. Fifty-one per cent said they would be ’ relieved if told the E.E.C. had been scrapped, and only il6 per cent would be “very i sorry.” Twenty-six per cent j 'would be indifferent.