I think, now that I’m far enough away, it’s finally safe to talk about the EU referendum.
I’ll put my weekend city break hat in the ring: I don’t think we should leave the EU. Yes, this woman currently living on the other side of the world wants us to Remain. The Japanese for ‘hypocrite’ is 偽善者.
Relax, this isn’t going to be a post about why I feel that way.
I was really looking forward to getting away from all the mud-slinging. Instead, when I read how bizarre the whole thing’s become, I wish I’d stayed to see more of the action. So far it’s been an amazing source of comedy.
Exhibit A: Votey McVoteface vs. the Farage barge.
Messing about on the river! Oh, why wasn’t I in London to catch this epic flotilla fail? Why are we at a point where both parties need a flotilla in order to campaign?
WHY is the EU’s policy on fishing such a big deal? I didn’t realise that trawlers and anglers comprised such a vital chunk of the voting populace.
Attention-seekers bobbing along the Thames in luxury boats was never going to be a quiet affair. I wonder how the people who’d come specifically to fish in the Thames felt about it. When the Guardian opens a sentence with “In what at times resembled a naval battle,” you know it was a damn good campaign stunt.
Exhibit B: the Boris battle bus.
When Boris Johnson unveiled his Vote Leave campaign bus in Cornwall, he stood on the front steps waving a Cornish pasty. Most of the main news media commented on the pasty in relation to EU rules, but to me it was more significant.
Cornwall was an odd place to set off from. There are parts of Cornwall which have petitioned for independence from the UK for decades. They’ve wanted a referendum for longer than the euro’s been in circulation.
Not only do they have to watch us hold a referendum that’s NOT about Cornwall, but BoJo was literally waving what could have been in their faces. Karma was later served in the form of a parking ticket.
However the vote goes, what we’ll all remember from this referendum is that it was silly. And in that sense, I’m still glad I’m not there for it.
