The title of this blog is actually also the song title of one of my favourite songs by The Clash and I think very apt for how some people may be feeling this week as the EU referendum looms on the political horizon. Whatever your opinion (if you have one and let’s face it, most of us do) it’s safe to say suddenly there appears to be a lot of financial, economical and immigration experts in our midst. The truth of the matter is most of us have very little knowledge on the whys and wherefores for going or leaving and feel as if we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
As the campaign gathered momentum I realized I’m an ‘INNY’. Is it because most of the ‘OUTY’ brigade cite immigration as their reason for leaving? I’m not denying the tone of their argument has appalled me but also the fact that their fears appear to be on the whole unfounded. There are far more pressing issues than the movement of people throughout Europe and anyway, statistics have proven that Immigration is a good thing for our country.
Patriotism has evolved into something rather unappealing for me; it often smacks of defence of an archaic system that no longer serves this great country, an ugly outpouring of narrow minded nostalgia. We are no longer an Empire and all the better for that. Our ability to tolerate, embrace and welcome different faiths and cultures is diminishing fast amongst a large percentage of the population and it pains me to witness this. We now live in a global village, the world is indeed a much smaller place than it was before and we need to accept this fact and work towards making the world a better, fairer place for all. We can’t do that alone, on our tiny island that has become so dependent on the support of Europe. I’m not wanting to turn this blog into a political rant but you will have to forgive me, it’s difficult to avoid when writing about such an important issue concerning the future of this country!
I’m angry too. Angry that we have been given this huge responsibility when our capacity for understanding the whole system is limited. It feels a little like a surgeon asking the patient how to perform his operation!
I’m sad about this pivotal moment in our history. About the huge divisions it has exposed between us. Friends are being made and lost on this I’m sure. The campaigns taking place have become little more than mud-slinging. The fiasco on the River Thames being a particular low point as a millionaire ex-pop star had a nautical stand off with a bigoted, privileged politician about fishermen and their plight. Did either of them have a clue about what they were arguing about? I’ll hold judgement on that…..just about.
The horrific murder of a young aspiring MP made the nation gasp in horror. Not on our shores? I’m afraid so. From our very smug standpoint of tut tutting at the ridiculous gun laws in the US after the appalling attack on the LGBT community in Florida, we were suddenly in a position to know how they felt. We are incredulous that something like this could happen here but happen it did and there is no way back from this. It has exposed the underbelly of vile racism, reared its ugly head and threatens our society; a distasteful, subliminal message that has been drip fed in the media. We are better than this. We can’t let this define us. We have to remember that we are supposed to be a tolerant, welcoming nation.
If you do happen to be an expert on all things EU, I’m pretty sure you would be voting to stay on Thursday, given the information I have been able to glean from the many articles I have pored over recently. If you are voting to leave, I sincerely hope you have very firm reasons for that and have come to your (somewhat questionable) conclusion with a clear, unbiased head that has no room for racism, bigotry or misguided patriotism.
Jane's Blog 
I understand your dilema Jane, many of us feel the same way. We are given a huge responsibility to decide how our Country goes ahead in the future. It’s like a huge organisation, let’s say B.T., suddenly were bankrupt. The Management in their wisdom ask the workers to run the Company even though none are qualified or have an interest in it! How ridiculous! Yet our Government are doing just that, handing over a huge task to every man and woman without having the right tools or experience to do the job.
Is there a hidden agenda, are we given the true information, what will happen if the vote goes the wrong way? So many questions but no clear answers. I expect I will go with my gut feeling, working on the information I know, from a fairly reliable source. We are in such serious times, one way and another, we know so much about what goes on in the world today, sometimes too much, and sometimes too much knowledge is a dangerous thing. The ordinary man, woman, in the street is subject to so much, the access to the media and technology keeps us informed about issues that were once taboo, not anymore.
So, let’s hope that each and every one of us really takes time to understand the whole picture before we vote on Thursday. There is more than one issue to consider, please give it the importance it requires.
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Better the devil you know……
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This is a really good analogy of a worrying situation Jane. So much at stake here. We must all take responsibility about our world and it’s problems. We know so much more about what is going on in the world and yet we become complacent, me included. I suppose the more we know the more difficult it seems to solve anything. The only thing that one can do without too much effort is to be more open-minded. To embrace new cultures and ideas. The world is one, although it’s divided up into different countries. Humans are all the same, although we come in all shapes, sizes and colour. We need to talk more about our fears, all nations have their own, help each other to find solutions. Our voting is sometimes based on only a little knowledge, let’s all make more of an effort to learn about what is really going on! Just like you said!
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Nearly twelve months after I wrote that piece and unfortunately the vote went in favour of Brexit. We leave the EU. How, when and what happens next seem the elusive questions……nobody knows what they’re doing!
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