Public supports new Britannia to showcase Commonwealth trade opportunities
More than half of Britons (56%) believe the proposal to build a Commonwealth Flagship to be appealing or very appealing, according to a recent poll for Clearline Communications.
More than half of Britons (56%) believe the proposal to build a Commonwealth Flagship to be appealing or very appealing, according to a recent poll by Ipsos. The proposed ship would be privately funded and would be used as a travelling exhibition centre to advance trade and tourism opportunities in poorer Commonwealth countries and to promote British and Commonwealth trade in general. The Ship would also be available for use by the Royal family and other Commonwealth heads of state whilst on official business.
Fifty-eight percent of Britons believe Britain should help less developed countries within the Commonwealth to trade their way out of poverty.
Only 34% of those surveyed described themselves as being fully aware of what the Commonwealth is. Half of Britons (51%) said that they were aware of the Commonwealth but not in detail. Fifteen percent admitted they were not fully aware of the Commonwealth however, 60% were able to accurately describe the Commonwealth as an association of independent countries that works together to promote democracy and development headed by Queen Elizabeth II, with 8% believing The Commonwealth is a trade agreement between United Kingdom, Canada and USA, headed by Queen Elizabeth II. 5% of those surveyed believing it to be a collective description for all developing countries and 4% believing it to be formed of the 20 wealthiest countries in the world.
Six in ten Britons (59%) believe we should strengthen our trading links with Commonwealth countries, but only 34% believe it should at the expense of trade with the European Union.
“Nothing land based is as effective as a high profile ship when it comes to hosting a trade exhibition in foreign waters” claims Ian Maiden, whose firm commissioned the research. “The Commonwealth is an undervalued influence for stability in an uncertain world and the Poll results show strong support”.
