On the BBC they gathered a group of 20 people, ‘common members of the public’, to discuss ‘Europe’. The exit. Or not. Ok, they were northerners, from Stafford or some such, but they didn’t seem overly dense or homeless or anything you’d normally expect. And at the end, these fairly intelligent people with interesting points to make, were asked to sum up ‘Europe’ and the whole ‘exit’ thing, with just one word. And about 6 of them held up the word ‘confused’.

And I thought ‘yeah’, I can buy that.

I read two newspapers every day. Ok, from the back pages forwards, granted, but I read all the non-sporting stuff too. I’m addicted to tv news. And I love politics and I find most things interesting (particularly diets, evolutionary anthropology and women in wet shirts). Yet I too have no idea whether leaving Europe, as we’ll be asked to decide in June, is a good thing or not.

There’s all the emotive rubbish spurted by those with agendas. ‘Control the borders’. Reclaim our sovereignty. Withhold benefits from immigrants. A united Europe prevents war. Facilitates trade. Increases our value to non-European business partners. Blah blah, fucking blah.

And I too am confused. Not just confused but unqualified to make such a monumental decision. Its not my job. That’s why we elect a government. To either make complicated decisions for us or to educate us sufficiently and impartially to enable us to have a referendum. This isn’t a simple thing, like Scottish independence, which we all want, but its Europe. Its complicated.

This whole fiasco started with the explosive rise of Nigel Farage in the run-up to the last election. He shouted that the only way forward for England was to close its gates, shut the doors, deport the useless, exterminate the needy and leave Europe with its stupid ‘human rights’ agenda and all that tolerance and niceness. We don’t need it. Rule Britannia. Land of Hope and Glory; altogether now…

So in his panic to match any election promise, by any party, however peripheral or irrelevant they may be, David Cameron played his euro-card. “I’ll give you an in/out referendum on Europe and YOU can decide!!!!”

But we’re not qualified. Nothing like.

‘Europe’ costs us 13 billion quid a year. We pay 9.6 million pounds a day to be part of the union. The value of membership to our trade is 30 zillion a month. Who fucking knows what any of this means. What will stop were we to leave, what would carry on. Would the price of a new Audi rise significantly? Will I be thrown out of the lift queue at Courchevel? For not being European? Or not being Russian?

So please, Mr Prime Minister, I think, with just 4 months left to go, that its time to start educating the masses. I’m even prepared to include myself in that group. Just for once.

We need to be told.

Happy Friday

A xxxx