The US has the reputation of being the most iconoclastic and authority-antagonistic democracy in the developed world. But if all of the living presidents (Carter, Clinton, Bush Sr, Bush W, Obama) and VPs (Mondale, Quayle, Bush Sr. again, Gore and Cheney) came out and said “Choose X”, then the American public would choose X. It might still happen in October 2016….
All living British PMs (Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron) and DPMs (Clegg) have come out multiple times and said Vote Remain. Cameron has sat in a campaign bus in Birmingham with Brown, Fallon (Lib Dem leader), Lucas (the Green MP), all of whom say Vote Remain. Trades Union Congress leader O’Grady says that the unions say Vote Remain. Corbyn (Labor Party leader) wasn’t in Birmingham, but he’s said Vote Remain, as has Watson (Labor Deputy Leader).
Nobel-prize-winning economists, and scientists, say Vote Remain. Most, but not all, successful business chiefs say Vote Remain.
And yet it’s still evens, with 10% undecided, the day before.
If there is that much distrust in the UK of the “political class”, whatever that may be (and it apparently includes trade union leaders)? Why on earth would people be listening to two professional journalists-turned-politicians, Johnson and Gove?
Maybe they’re not.
Which leads to the thought: is this some sort of class war of a sort that no one understands? If so, it’s not magically going to stop with the results on Friday, whatever they may be.
You may guess what my colours are, but this is to be decided by the opinion of the British people. Nothing less than 100% turnout will show what that is. That’s the stupid thing about referendums. They’re supposed to show “the will of the people” but they don’t, for various reasons.
For goodness sake, people, get out there, with your friends, neighbors, and all others eligible, and vote!
Incidentally, please Vote Remain.
If you don’t, if Britain doesn’t believe that it should be in the EU, I and others want to know that it’s a real majority opinion. That it’s real. Then cleverer people than I am can start analysing the reasons why.
I can’t vote. I’ve been too long an internationalist and out of the country (15 year limit). Actually, I’ve been out of the country the last 43 years except for a year and a half in Scotland. Maybe I should rephrase that – I’ve been out of the country the last 43 years but I did work a year and a half in a neighbouring country. But maybe not. My grandma was Irish, maybe I should look to be Irish – I play the music and have for thirty years.
This is all utter crap, people, this is all utterly beside the point of life. Sartre and Ionesco would have been proud to have been vindicated.