to still not know how to vote in the referendum?

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

To my shame i have never voted but i really want to on this issue, its about time i actively participated.

I have done a lot of reading on the subject however i am still unsure. The basic problem is that i dont trust any of the politicians to do what they say.

I am not too bothered by immigration - i live in an area where it hasnt had a massive effect and i think that a certain level of immigration is needed.

I can see (and have worked with EU funding) some of the benefits of EU funding. I think some of the red tape has improved workers rights, environmental issues etc.

I think some of the economic guess work of brexit is purely that and is possibly looking too short term, yes there maybe bumps but what about further down the line.

I think that the EU gets blamed by the government for things that they want to deflect from their actions. Yes i have problems with getting a drs app but i think that is due to under funding not immigration.

I have concerns with the way the EU is run and the lack of accountability. I dont believe our government have the power to put our interests first in the face of EU demands.

I have watched the debates and read up but i am still so unsure.

the dirty tricks have really paid off.

Was the Leave campaign whiter than white and full of nothing but truth then? That is certainly not the impression I got.

The Leave campaign was full of xenophobic bile and dodgy statistics, which really disappointed me, because I was all for 'Leave' initially. TBH, the 'Remain' campaign wasn't much better, but as time went on and just about anyone with any gravitas, education and good sense lined up to support 'Remain' I started to question my judgement. And when Donald Trump threw his considerable bulk behind 'Leave' I decided I needed to take a long, hard look at the facts .... and on that back of that today I voted 'Remain'.

Later this morning, as I drove my German car to the German supermarket, where I bought French bread, German beer and Frankfurters, then came home and had Spanish olives, Scottish salmon and French mayonnaise for lunch I pondered on my decision and decided it was the right one.

Leave completely failed to make their case IMO. Yes, there are compelling reasons to leave the EU, but there are more compelling ones to stay. The times they have a-changed. We cannot go back to being a little island all on our own. Immigration will not cease if we leave the EU. Albion will not be returned to its pristine 1900 state. And who the hell wants another recession? We've only just limped, shaking out of the last one.

In a few hours' time I'll be voting for Brexit for all of the reasons, and many more, outlined in the Spectator's current leader: www.spectator.co.uk/2016/06/out-and-into-the-world-why-the-spectator-is-for-leave/

Those who are being exhorted to remain on the basis of it being 'better the devil you know' should take account of the fact that this particular devil's intentions have undergone a profound change since 1975 when the UK's electorate voted to join the European Economic Community by means of the Common Market referendum and this is our first, and may well be our last, opportunity to restore our country's sovereign right to govern itself without let or hindrance from the cabal of unelected bureaucrats who continue to seek to impose their will on once proud nation states.

I would suggest that those who are still undecided read the above article, watch Paxman in Brussels. and remember that Britain functioned perfectly well in the world before the past 41 years of increasingly onerous stricture and, given the chance, will undoubtedly do so again.

We owe it to all those who fought, and in some instances died, for what is left of our many and varied freedoms to take back our power in order to hand it down to future generations with pride in our fundamental belief in a democracy which underpins our right to govern ourselves.

goddessofsmallthings - where do you stand on the house of lords?

As I say upthread, if a Government were committed to leaving the EU (if they campaigned on that platform) they could bring the UK out of the EU by an Act of Parliament.

Unfortunately none of the mainstream parties as a group seem to be interested in leaving the EU, although of course many people within them do. So relying on an Act of Parliament as a possibility doesn't seem very realistic.

Wasn't Boris editor of The Spectator at one point?

Happy to read the article but suspect it's simply a toff's version of the Daily Mail with a very heavy leaning to Brexit rather than impartial facts.

Some interesting info on Boris' European journalism career