It’s been a bit odd over the last few months – being on the same side of an argument as David Cameron and George Osborne. My instincts are always to take what they say with a pinch of salt (as pictured right) but the size of the pinch just keeps growing as the Brexit/BRemain debate continues.
I’m sure I heard the PM saying that there would be plagues of locusts, frogs and boils, and that water would turn into blood if we voted to leave the EU. Steady on boys, steady on!
I can’t take PR PM Dave seriously even when he is on the same side of the argument as me – does he actually believe this garbage? Does he actually believe in anything? (That was a rhetorical question and there is no need to answer it here – but go ahead if you must).
I see cartoonist Paul Thomas was taking the mickey too with these two tweets (@PaulThomas992) today:
NEWS:Cameron warns that #Brexit could lead to reserves like Titchwell and Minsmere closing as the EU refuse to share their birds
Post #Brexit the birds will stop at the Channel in protest at Prime Minister Johnson’s environmental policies #Remain
I find Paul’s humour ridiculously childish – it’s right up my street!
Whilst it is always captivating to watch the Conservative and Unionist Party tearing itself apart over European Union I find myself feeling most light-headed when having to agree with the likes of Bernard Jenkin and Liam Fox that the PR PM is losing a grip on reality. If his public statements keep getting more hyperbolic every day until 23 June then he’ll be promising an extra apocalyptic horseman every week until referendum day. Come off it!
This couldn’t be the most subtle ploy to undermine the remain case could it? How fiendishly cunning that would be.
And the same thought has occurred to the leader over Hadrian’s Wall, Nicola Sturgeon, as she is quoted as saying that the government approach risks insulting people’s intelligence. Well, Leader over the Wall, you try living down here and you’d be very accustomed to that happening. We hardly notice it these days.
When is the SNP going to start standing in English constituencies by the way? Corby must be a very good bet with all those Scottish steel workers down here.
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As I’ve constantly said.
It’s the things they aren’t arguing about that worries me the most.
TTIP (both camps welcome it).
The environment & climate change (silence).
The cynic in me thinks they are deliberately making these outlandish claims to grab the headlines whilst sneaking their more destructive policies under the radar.
Please don’t give the SNP any ideas.
This EU referendum campaign has been a monstrous waste of time, money and energy and has taught us nothing. It’s a nice illustration I think of something I heard Chris Patten say a few years ago – that plebiscites aren’t a tool of democracy but a tool of authoritarian regimes trying to scrape together some legitimacy for what they intend to do anyway (I’m paraphrasing a bit). So we have a leader who can’t even manage 40% of the popular vote and who can’t show leadership to his own party, who told us a few months ago he’d recommend we leave if he didn’t get what he wanted in Brussels. He’s now telling us that despite not getting much of what he wanted in Brussels the whole bleedin’ world will end unless we stay in! I think actually it might, but he’s got a damn cheek leaving it till now to come out and say it purely to shore up his own position. We have the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the second world war, and yet Europe’s leaders are locked in a summit late last year to resolve a dispute within the Conservative Party! If it wasn’t so serious it would be quite funny – no wonder Angela Merkel nipped out for some chips half way through.
Here, for what it’s worth, is my summary of the arguments:
* David Cameron and George Osborne think we should stay in or it will cost a lot of jobs (mostly theirs)
* Boris Johnson thinks we should leave so that it will cost David Cameron and George Osborne their jobs. And don’t worry about the economy, it will be fine, we’ll do our own trade deals and export wiff-waff to Canada
* if we leave it will be the first step in Michael Gove’s plan to singlehandedly destroy the European Union, mwahahaha! (oh **** off!)
* Nigel Farage ‘ “I’m still here – anyone fancy a pint?”
Of course none of the questions such as what to do about the precipitous decline in Europe’s wildlife, biosecurity, how to restore trust in politics and Europe’s institutions, stem the rise of the far right as well as Islamist extremism and prevent them tearing the continent apart even get a look in. Good job these aren’t important or anything.
For what it’s worth, I’m with Remain on the basis that of course we should bl**** well stay in the EU, and the Remain lot are marginally less odious than the Brexit lot. Never let it be said that reasoned argument can’t win the day!
Roll on June 23rd, at least then it will all be over.
I’m with you here Mark, I’m an inny, but just wish Cameron et al would shut up. Why take us into the most important referendum in a generation, and then tell us one of the outcomes would be economic suicide? The arguments are all about what it means for big business? what will it do for immigration? who will end up leading the Tories? However what about the effect it will have on individuals, our rights, our environment, our lives?
The nightmare is after June 24th, when Boris, Gove and Farage ( backed by the media moguls) announce a fast track to isolation. Europe (and Scotland) wave bye bye to any remaining respect for Westminster.. quickly followed by The US, desperate to have an English speaking threshold into Europe. Emergency legislation to scrap human rights, workers rights, environmental protection .. and that’s just the first week.
There was a petition for the north of England to secede from the UK and join an independent Scotland (https://www.change.org/p/the-uk-government-allow-the-north-of-england-to-secede-from-the-uk-and-join-scotland). The position of the new Wall is open for discussion, right down to just snipping off London and Kent and floating them off into the Atlantic to accede to Trumperica. Do let us know; all lifeforms welcome, even people.