I am firmly for the UK leaving the EU. Have been half my life (and I’m only 31!). But frustratingly, sadly, it is apparently necessary to keep saying the following so as to try to hose off the mud that Bremainers keep slinging:

I love Europe, I holiday there all the time; my wife is from the continent; I am obsessed with the languages, cultures, and films of Europe; European solidarity is necessary in order to promote and maintain the presence of liberal democratic ideology in the world and to counter-balance the growing threats that the world faces, be it Russia, China, or ISIS. I love Europe, I hate the EU.

The EU does not do justice to our great continent in any regard. The EU is a long-term death sentence for the continent, and thus the values which it promotes and stands for.

I think it’s hard to tell whether the UK will vote to Remain or to Leave. Although I have never underestimated the power of the fear factor to pursuade people to vote Remain. However, whichever way the vote goes, I would like it to go that way based on facts, not ill-founded fears. But I worry it won’t.

• We are the EasyJet generation; if we leave the EU, we won’t be able to go to Europe anymore.
• The average holiday will go up by £200.
• Austerity will continue for two more years.
• We will lose four million jobs if we leave the EU.
• We will no longer be able to afford to pay for pensions, the NHS, the armed forces (and so on); all will have to be cut.

These are all lies that I have heard respectable people tell in recent weeks. Lies that may convince people.

Many of the statements made in this campaign are needfully tentative, predictions prefixed with “may”, “could”, and “perhaps”. And there have been many outright lies. But there are facts, too. Let’s vote based on those facts, not on lies and misrepresentations.

© 2016 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/love-europe-hate-the-eu/