Normally I try not to get involved in this sort of thing, but what I am about to say is really important to me…
It may surprise you to know that I don’t particularly mind which way people vote in the Referendum. Despite all of the rhetoric, fear-mongering, lies and hatred flying around at the moment, there are some pretty reasonable arguments on both sides (they just aren’t getting any media attention!).
Personally, I’ve decided to Vote Remain because although the EU has its flaws, I think that Britain has an important part to play on the world stage and that we are better off in the EU than trying to make it on our own. Also, I am 29 years old and thinking about buying a house and starting a family, and no one can promise that leaving won’t make it a lot more difficult for me to do those things. I am also a researcher, and I know that my job and much of Britain’s world-leading research depends on the EU. Then there’s the fact that the ‘big issues’ of the debate – immigration and ‘Brussels bureaucracy’ – are distractions from the real issues, like the fact that most of our problems would be solved if the likes of Amazon, Google and Starbucks were made to pay their taxes, or if rich MP’s stopped claiming obscene amounts in expenses while calling disabled citizens and poor, taxpaying families ‘parasites’… but I digress!
As I said, I don’t mind WHAT you chose. What really matters is WHY you make that choice. You should do it because you believe it’s the right thing to do, or because it is the best choice for our nation or humanity as a whole. This is probably one of the most important decisions that Britain will make in most of our lifetimes. Please don’t let it be a decision born out of fear, prejudice or hatred. We are better than that!