EU referendum

The clock had barely struck the hour before people came flocking through the door of Chard Museum, polling cards in hand, to claim their free glass of wine.

My idea of offering refreshment to voters on the evening of the Referendum was intended to lighten up the proceedings a little. I believe we have all suffered in recent weeks from Referendum fatigue, no matter which side of the argument we have been on. It seemed a great opportunity to introduce this charming museum to local people who may not have previously darkened its doors, with the excuse that Margaret Bondfield, who hailed form Chard, was the first ever female cabinet minister. Her story is an interesting one, and I am always looking out for a link to justify a little light-hearted festivity, however tenuous the connection.

The Referendum is however a very serious business. If one can even begin to believe half of the disgraceful rhetoric that has been bandied around by both sides, then whichever way the vote goes it would seem that we are all doomed. What worries me the most though is the extent that this has the potential to divide the nation. It was a very negative campaign and the plethora of what can only be described as propaganda was accompanied by the rather patronising, righteous tone of some leading local campaigners.

During the campaign I do not believe that either side acquitted themselves well. We were short on evidence, and the consequences of our future in or out of Europe was largely conjecture, along with a good deal of scare mongering. The fact is that we live in an uncertain world, where nothing is guaranteed. Our membership has not protected us from the recent long, deep, recession we are now only just coming out of, or the loss of thousands of jobs for some. Both sides tried their level best to steer clear of the ‘immigration’ question for want of being labelled racists; the fear of the negative impact it would have on their campaigning was palpable.

Despite our EU membership, and the free movement of the thousands of EU nationals who flock here in search of better lives, it is our inability to control our own borders when it comes to illegal immigrants that is the real cause of the problem. At a time when local authorities have been suffering from declining budgets in a climate of increased expectations, the cost to our services, be it schools, social services, housing or health, is a sobering reality.

What I have minded most though about the run up to the vote is the rolling out of failed politicians and retired public figures, the ‘have beens’ of our society, in an attempt to sway our opinion. That, along with trotting out of the likes of David Beckham at the last minute, who no longer lives in the UK on a permanent basis, and the truly shameful milking of the tragic death of Jo Cox for all it was worth, has been disheartening. As a regular Radio 4 listener I also felt that the BBC’s reporting was clearly biased.

On a more positive note, and taking nothing for granted, I did buy some euros today, just in case, and got a very favourable rate.

All in all, it has been an unpleasant, divisive and very expensive experience. The one piece of sound advice I heard was the question ‘If we were not already in EU, would you vote to join today?’