Jónas Kristjánsson, a former newspaper editor in Iceland and a huge supporter of EU membership for many years, wrote on his blog yesterday that the European Union was simply not a product to sell in Iceland and that the EU was further away from ordinary people today than ever. Those comments came in the wake of the results of the latest poll in Iceland showing continued opposition to EU membership by the majority of Icelanders.
„The popularity of the European Union [in Iceland] is not improving. People don't even want negotiations on membership, not to mention membership itself. The EU is not a product to sell. I have for a long time favoured membership, mainly because it is better to be on the inside than out in the cold. When I began to recommend membership some 15 years ago I hoped that the EU would soon get better. That voter's influence would increase and the EU would move closer to the people. That has not happened. The EU is further from the people than ever before. Its beaurocrats have completely failed to wrap it into an attractive package. They get a zero in public relations,“ Kristjánsson said.
Source:
Fá núll í almannatengslum (Jónas.is 12/04/09)