EU Referendum - Decision Made!

I'm not going to lie to you, this post was approached with extra caution. In fact, even as I type these words and before I have expressed any opinion, each tap of the keyboard is made with an air of trepidation. Not because I feel my decision is the wrong one, for if I thought it was I wouldn't be writing this. It's because I know this decision and this debate has been argued and heated up so much that if I'm not careful I could end up being another one of those irritating posts bombarding social media.

I apologise in advance if this post does come across as 'samey' and therefore wasted your time. I promise I have tried my best to make it as worthwhile as possible.

So, let's get to the point and declare which way I have decided to vote, and do so with the risk of making some of my few readers tut and roll their eyes like a disfavouring teacher.

I have decided to vote IN.

Now before you click the the mini red 'x' in your top right hand corner, let me explain why I have done so and perhaps it will make it simpler for you to make your own decision.

Since the referendum picked up real momentum I have been on both sides of the debate. Initially I was on the STAY side. Then I was declaring Brexit. Now I'm back to STAY.

Why?

Well, I tried to keep an open mind about it all. I was, and am still, willing to listen to both sides of the argument.

Nothing infuriates me more than the rock-hard stubbornness of some individuals who once they have made a decision stick by it as if it were an allegiance to some deity.

Your decision making has to be flexible.

This debate has been without any shadow of a doubt made overly complicated, bitterly spoken, and fear-fuelled by both sides. Neither the remain or leave campaign can argue they have not attempted to strike horror into the British public so that they can gain a mislead vote on June 23rd.

It's awful and plays the people of Britain like chess pieces on a board controlled by either Farage of Cameron.

Ignore the statements of fear that if we leave our economy will implode and we will be living off dirt and air. Ignore the statements that if we stay we'll be overrun by immigrants and won't be able to go to the shops without a translator.

When it came to making my own decision I ignored the drabble from the frankly comical Boris Johnson. I ignored the statements from Nigel Farage which were more suited around a campfire alongside ghost stories. I ignored the claims from David Cameron that leaving would put a huge risk to our economy.

Instead I went out and did a bit of research. I watched the television debates with an eye-out for severe stutterings and lackings of evidence. Most of all, I just sat and thought about what I prefered.

And that's how I came about my decision.

It didn't take me long to appreciate that the issues in this country are not down to the European Union and it's respected bodies. It didn't take me long to appreciate that our lack of jobs and money weren't down to immigrants.

Fundamentally, our issues come down to how our UK government has failed its people. Leaving Europe won't stop the government from being arses and it won't stop MPs from being up-nosed, blibber blabbing knobheads.

The whole idea of the EU is to collaborate with its allies and to discuss issues within Europe. It's there for the leaders of Europe to gather round and stop atrocities like WW1 and WW2 from happening again.

Leaving the EU will not allow us to sit around that table and discuss how we, as a collective, can stop terrorism, help ease the migration crisis, climate change, the economy... etc.

If you're deciding the vote LEAVE because you want the UK to 'take back control' and to 'become great again' then please, think about what you're saying. Our government can barely control it's own parliamentary debates for christ's sake! And saying the British people can push forward because they're 'brilliant' and can make Britain 'great' again is like saying we've been doing bugger all for the last 40 years. Are you really telling me that as soon as we leave everyone's going to put down their cups of tea and go out and build an empire and conquer the world?

I'm not saying the British attitude isn't great, but to refer to the two world wars and the victories that came with them as something we can take credit for is an offensive and idiotic claim. We won those wars with others helping us and the brilliant men and women who were involved from all of those nations. Little Dave from Surrey who says 'we won two world wars though' is not one of them.

We're not a super power. We're not what we were two-hundred years ago. We are a good little country with a great standard of living that has immigrants and foreign imports to thank.

Look, I'm not writing this post to throw facts at you. I'm not even writing this to say VOTE STAY! I'm just writing it to perhaps persuade you to really consider what you vote for.

Staying will allow the new EU deal to come into place. A deal that though isn't as good as we hoped, is still an improved deal to what we had before. *I won't highlight the points about this deal as it could add even more words to this already long post.*

Leaving will have us drifting out to sea with a whole cloud of uncertainty ahead.

I made my decision by weighing up both ends and considering what would be best for me and my future.

Personally I don't think things are so bad now and we still, as part of the EU, can put forward suggestions for improving it.

Just go out and do your research before voting on June 23rd and consider whether rolling the dice is really worth it or if we should just accept things could be much worse here in the UK and as part of the EU.

I did it and feel much better for it.

Just feel confident in your decision and make sure you can justify it when asked about it.