John Vincent

Magnets have two poles – north and south. Electrical charges can be positive or negative.  Batteries have a plus and a minus terminal.  Yes, you can tell that I’m and electrical engineer by training.  However, reducing complex subjects to just two simple choices (IN or OUT) isn’t so easy even if it is necessary. In the forthcoming referendum there will only be two choices.  Well, of course there’s a third way and that’s abstention (or not voting) but this is the worst of all the choices possible.  With such a mammoth decision in front of the British people on 23 June, I hope that as many people as possible have their say in the final result.

This is NOT a normal British election. This is NOT a vote for punishing or rewarding a Government or any of its personalities.  This is NOT reversible.

Although you can only choose to REMAIN or LEAVE the EU, in reality Europe is much more multidimensional. We can talk at length about business, economics, defence, security, social welfare, human rights, democracy or the environment as a few of the subjects on the table.  None of them are trivial.  All of them are important.  Don’t let anyone tell you this is simple.

Remember too that although the referendum is one day in 2016 it’s the impact on decades for Britain that needs to be in your mind. What’s happening this week or this month may not have anything to do with the enduring impact of the vote.  Political personalities come and go like moths.  Britain endures.

Throughout this long national referendum campaign, I have seen both positive and negative campaigning from both side of the critical arguments. If I was to pile up the arguments on a large balancing scale, I think that there’s greater positivity from Vote Remain and less from Vote Leave.

Now, you might say to me: but aren’t you bias is making that assessment? Here’s a reason why that is not so and it’s a simple equation that can make the point.  Vote Remain is positive about the EU.  Vote Leave is negative about the EU.  Both are positive about Britain’s place in the wider world.

So, two positives for REMAIN. Thus, its seems to me that the best long term result for Britain is to REMAIN in the EU.

I love the European Union when it protects human rights. There is a good reason why human rights have a “supranational” dimension.  That word meaning a power or influence that goes beyond national boundaries or governments.  That’s because throughout history governments have taken, and continue to take truly appalling actions.  This is not just on random occasions since abuse crops-up time and time again.  Often these actions are driven by the type of right-wing political extremism that we see on the rise again in Europe.  That’s a Europe which includes us.

Now, I know the British argument is often that it could never happen in this Country. However, I’m reminded of the words of the German Pastor Martin Niemöller – “First they came for the…”.  It’s a list which finishes with the line: “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me”.

It’s striking how polarising the public debate surrounding the EU referendum has become. It’s striking how quickly our world becomes separated into camps of “them” and “us”.  It’s also striking how quickly rational argument can fall away and be replaced by simple name calling.

In its membership, Britain’s role in the EU has been one of promoting human rights. Today, there seems to be a danger that we are rolling back from the leadership we once exercised as an advanced nation.  I believe it remains vitally important that Britain remains inside the EU to uphold human rights.  It’s what we have traditionally done well.  A vote to REMAIN is a vote to lead for the good of us all.

Only a fortnight to the most important national vote of my lifetime. That said, are you like me getting fed-up with this persistent nonsense?

It has been reported that a Prophet said that; you should not kill your neighbour.

Leave campaigners dismissed this as biased.

It has been reported that a major Church leader said that; the meek shall inherit the earth.

Leave campaigners dismissed this as EU propaganda.

It has been reported that a great Statesman said; he was in favour of peace in Europe.

Leave campaigners dismissed this as a minor issue.

It has been reported that a world renowned Economist said; she though there was a risk with Brexit.

Leave campaigners dismissed this as being wrong because other people are wrong.

It has been reported that a senior civil servant said; caution should be exercised.

Leave campaigners dismissed this as unfair.

It has been reported that the public are in despair over misinformation and hyperbole.

Leave campaigners dismissed this because they were clearly not listening.

The REMAIN campaign questioned the accuracy of figures used by the media.

Leave campaigners dismissed this as even more proof that everyone was biased.

Is there anyone left for Vote Leave/UKIP supporters to denounce? I’ll answer my own question: the likelihood that that a rational, reasonable and reliable argument will come from the leavers is the same chance as hell freezing over.  Overwhelming numbers of reputable experts, notable achievers, and down to earth practical people support a vote to REMAIN in the EU.  You should too.

Register, register, register – that’s the best that can be said at this moment.  The voter registration deadline is to be extended to midnight on Thursday, 09 June 2016.  When that midnight hour comes voter registrations will close.  Legislation will be put forward to make that happen.  That’s your one opportunity to vote in the EU referendum being held on Thursday, 23 June to decide if Britain will REMAIN in the EU.

Time to sign-up if the Government computer glitch got you or you missed the last deadline. It’s clear that if you don’t register and don’t vote you are giving up Britain to the readers of the Daily Mail and the Express.

Although we have known since it was first published, it’s clear that the leave campaigners claim that Brexit would free up £350m a week for the UK Government to spent is untrue. Leave campaign literature has been full of blatant distortions.

If you are concerned about; jobs, your income, prices and your rights in the work place then vote to REMAIN in the EU.

The question is: which way would Simon Templar vote at the EU referendum? That’s Roger Moore in British TV series: The Saint.  The character’s initials (ST) gave him the name “The Saint”.  It’s also the registration of an iconic Volvo sports car.

An archetypal post-war Robin Hood, this fictional star didn’t much care for the “ungodly” or the con artists. Impeccably dressed, Templar could become embroiled in a fight and yet with one brush of his hair look like nothing had happened.  Which way would this fictional character, in black and white or colour, vote in the forthcoming referendum?

A pre-war mystery called a “Prelude for War” was adapted and updated for TV. That story became titled: The Saint Plays with Fire (1963) and is the best indicator to me that Simon Templar would vote to REMAIN in the EU.

The story goes like this: A young undercover journalist is murdered by a member of the British Nazi Party. Simon Templar takes up the investigation for a friend.  The writer’s papers were not destroyed.  There’s a struggle to recover the papers.  Naturally it’s got a cliff hanger where the Saint has to escape a deadly fire set by his enemies.

At the start of the TV show there’s a fascist rally taking place in London. Then the camera pans to the Saint who gives a short speech direct to the viewers.

It goes like this: Less than 20 years ago we won the war against Nazi tyranny. And today, the spectre is emerging again – it’s the same shabby doctrine – race hatreds, survival of the fittest, brutal intimidation of the opposition – I’ve heard it before and it sickens me – just as it sickens the vast majority of people here in Trafalgar Square – frightening isn’t it.

Listening to that, I can’t help but think this is the future of UKIP. And it is frightening.

The question is: which way would John Steed vote on the EU?  That’s Patrick Macnee in the Avengers TV series.  Always in a smart suit, the bowler hat and umbrella that was once so typically British.  Which way would this fictional character, much loved from my childhood, vote in the forthcoming referendum?

The cold war spy stories of the 1960s were full of conspiracies and plots. The Avengers was like a sophisticated Scooby Doo for adults.  Except these were imaginary British secret agents working for an mysterious part of the Intelligence services.  The plots followed the lines of uncovering intrigue so that the baddies were outwitted and exposed.  The closing sequence often had a trade mark opening of a bottle of expensive Champagne.

Visions of future technologies popped up in the stories from time to time. Cybernauts (robots), computers and even walky-talkies produced a blend of 1960s high-tech with soberer tradition.

I think Steed would approve that 13 former dictatorships have been transformed into democratic EU Member States. That we have had peace and stability in Europe for 60 years and that the cold war is now taught in history books.

With the Vote Leave campaign arguments being so “dishonest” and “verging on the squalid” they would certainly be cast in the role of the shifty baddies.

Given that John Steed was highly rational and as cool as a cucumber under pressure, I’d say that Steed would vote to REMAIN in the EU. He would support a confident, positive and patriotic case for Britain in Europe. So do all you “Steedophiles” across the Country agree?

 

Register, register, register – that’s the best that can be said at this moment.  When the midnight hour comes voter registrations close.  That’s it.  That’s your opportunity to vote in the EU referendum being held on Thursday, 23 June to decide whether Britain should remain in the EU.

I’ve been painting and decorating in an empty house. There are not many tips to remember when painting walls and ceilings but a few are worth a mention.  One: apply more paint to the wall or ceiling than to oneself – hair included.  Two: it will look better once the paint has had time to dry.  Three: now I’ve started I’m going to finish this job – whatever happens.  Four: expect the colour to look different from the patch on the tin or the grand vision in your head.

As I was splashing paint around I noticed the more I used the lower the level of paint got. Perfectly normal that you might think.  It’s perfectly normal in a perfectly normal world.  But then, I though in a Brexit world the paint would not get used up and would just stay at the same level in the tin.

Why do I say this? Well, it’s simply because if you add up all the spending commitments from the Vote Leave campaign you find they have invented an unusual phenomenon.  It’s the case that you can use money more than once and yet still have plenty left over.  How I wish I could apply that strange phenomenon to my household painting task.  It would be great to get something for nothing.

Truth is, I recognise this not as an unusual phenomenon but just a downright con.

 

So what does the future look like? In 18 May 1952, at age 80, Bertrand Russell wrote an article called “The next eighty years”.  Now that’s 64 years ago.  For me bringing to mind the song – will you still love me when I’m 64.  I came into the world later than that; in 1960.  My early youth was passed at a time when the Beatles were at their peak.  When hippies and free pop festivals came and went.  A time when astronauts went to the Moon whilst on Earth a nuclear arms race was engulfing the nations.  Television was starting to become a powerful medium.

In my teenager years the UK was a troubled place but an exciting one too. A three-day week, homework done by candlelight and rampant inflation.  Failing industries and misplaced protectionism with slogans like “Buy British”.  There was a sense of rebellion with an establishment continuing to look on bemused.  That’s the time when the UK applied for and got membership of the EEC.  It the time when the first national referendum on membership took place.

That’s for me but what of Russell’s imagining of the future? Gloomily Russell pictured a third world war that reduced Europe to rubble (again).  More cheerfully another outcome was possible where Russia and America came to an accord.  He imagined a United Nations capable of maintaining peace.  He foresaw science being use for our benefit rather than our destruction.

Here we are making a momentous decision in 2016. So, what might Britain and the world look like in 2096?  My young nieces and nephews may still be around in that year.  What we decide this month will surely echo through the years and affect the world they live and work in.

It’s a long shot to try and see that far ahead in time but Russell, in his wisdom, did get a couple of optimistic predictions right. Thank God the man was wrong on the gloomy visions.

If we leave the European Union, my conjecture is that there will be growing fragmentation. We will be going backwards to the days of destructive rivalry between neighbouring nations.  I hear this when some advocates of Vote Leave tell me; the French and the Germans have never really liked us.  It’s the call of the neo-fascist.  Today, one young lad passed me in the street with his fist clenched saying: stronger OUT.  I’m not saying WWIII is coming but that the nations of Europe waste the next 40 years competing with each other whilst the rest of the world gets on with determining the future.  Then in say, 40 years more we rediscover the benefits of cooperation and start rebuilding institutions and structure and pull together again.

If we stay in and reform the European Union I believe that we can reverse the trend to centralise decision-making and increase the power of democracies. The EU secures peace, prosperity and the rule of law.  The inventiveness and creativity of the British combined with the qualities of other nations will help us master technology rather than let it master us.  We are at the foothills of mountainous changes that hand-held devices like the smart phone are just the baby step.  Artificial intelligence, Automation, Biotechnologies, Hyper-networking, Nanotechnologies all require strong regulation to be safely used. The EU is the best means to provide that regulation so that it is effective and usable on a global scale.

Exploration of the deep ocean or space or the sub atomic world can’t be done by nations alone. Combining efforts and a stable economic environment will mean we can forge the future rather than be mere bystanders.  We need to lead in the EU.

During this time the British will continue to drive on the left hand side of the road and drink pints of beer.  The jingoism and intellectual dishonesty of the Vote Leave campaign is a step backwards. People who haven’t made their minds up which way to vote in the EU referendum should take a long-term view.  For the genuine “don’t knows” Voting REMAIN is on balance a far better future for Britain.