I don't know if it has anything to do with the Eurointafada, but support for the union is at an all-time low:

Particular dismay with the EU was found in Britain, where a majority – 42% to 40% – believe the UK has not benefited from its 30-year membership and only 36% of those questioned considered membership “a good thing”.

Of the 25 members, only 10 countries say they have a “positive image” of the EU. Again, Britain is at the bottom of this poll, with only 28% regarding Brussels in a positive light. Ireland records the highest satisfaction, with 68%.

All 10 new EU members are shown to be going cold on the euro, with a marked drop in those believing it would be good for their countries, the fugures falling to 38%, from 44% and interest in the single currency is now a minority issue, at 48%.

Rand, I was over in the U.K. this past summer, and it was obvious to me that the EU is not welcome there. It was tolerated, much as my cats tolerate getting their annual rabies shots, but not liked. The loss of cultural identity was also resented.

Maybe I'm mis-interpreting something in this statement:

"a majority – 42% to 40% – believe the UK has not benefited from its 30-year membership"

but how is 42% a majority? Actually I have no idea at all what the author is saying. He throws around percentages willi-nilli, later stating:

"interest in the single currency is now a minority issue, at 48%"

If 42% is a majority, why is 48% a minority?

Are engineers the only people bothered by such careless use of numbers by today's journalists?

Good point, Teej. I remember how Tom Daschle got away with calling himself "majority leader" despite that his party only numbered 50 in the Senate. I considered him, at best, "plurality leader" -- but kids today seem to be taught that the largest single subset constitutes the majority, even when all the other subsets together outnumber it.

Were the ancient Romans more innumerate during the Empire's decline than before?

The link is broken, Rand. I think you're missing part of the end of the link.

teej, I think the author sloppily meant a majority of the people who made a definite choice (throwing away that pesky 18% who weren't sufficiently decisive). Also, a 2% edge in a poll is well within error. Definitely, an ugly abuse of a poll.