.... Hell, at least some of the remainians are honest and admit this will happen but claim it's a good thing. Why won't the mainstream media be honest and report this important development?
Because the idiot know-it-alls trying to make themselves look good on TV, or write "smart" articles in papers, are so busy focussed on the minutiae of one or two specific leaves, on a single branch of a single large tree that they failed to notice the question was actually about the forest. Hell, they haven't yet even noticed they're in a forest.
In my opinion, this referendum is going to be the only one we get for a generation or two, at least. Or rather, the only in/out referendum. There may be others on specific points. But it may well be the last in/out referendum ever.
Therefore, the real issue isn't as simple as immigration, borders or even trade, and certainly not short-term trade benefits or disadvantages, important as they are. It's about the fundamental nature of our long-term future.
Look not at what the EU is, but what it is to become. The end goal is, and always was, a federal european superstate. It is, and always was, designed to end intra-Europe conflict, and set us up as a power block to rival the US, and more recently, China. The logic of that, by the way, is of an EU containing Russia but I'm not sure anyone sees that happening any time soon. But then, who predicted the Berlin Wall being torn down that way?
But whatever, the goal if the EU is a federal superstate. Some steps are obvious. Common external borders? Check. Remove internal borders? Mainly check, apart from those pesky Brits, and Norway. Common currency? Check for most, some still underway. Common courts? Check? Common passports? Check. Common foreign diplomatic service and embassies? Not quite complete, but check. Common fiscal policy? Hmmmm. Getting there, but not quite check yet. Common constitution and anthem? Almost checked that, but the pesky people voted it down in referenda. So, drop the anthem, rewrite the rest a little, stop calling it a constitution and call it a Lisbon 'treaty' and .... check. We'll do the song some other time, probably by the back door. Common police force? Tricky one. But at least ISIS are helpfully providing great motivation for "enhanced cooperation and intelligence sharing". Thoughtful, of them, that. So not yet check, but underway. But, on the upside, the European Arrest Warrant slid past with barely a whimper, so check on that.
Armed forces? Ooh, emotive one. But, they've been working together for years, embedding people in each other's various forces, though to be fair, so has the US. Plans for putting French fighters on two Brit super-carriers for which they can't afford enough planes? Genius. And stage one of check.
That's what this referendum is about. In or out of what the EU is evolving into, not what it is right now.
Forget petty arguments about a possible tariff war on French cheese. Do we want to be a part of a European superstate? If so, vote remain and stop being the awkward slightly unwelcome, reluctant guest at the party. Or do we want to be a small, independent island off the edge of a superstate? If so, vote leave.
Since the UK joined the Common Market, or arguably even before that with the ECSC, we've been a reluctant, unconvinced participant. What we wanted was a common market, a free-trade nirvana. But it's not on the table. It's all or nothing. A region of a European superstate with a sort-of single market included. This only works properly, however, if we all regard ourselves as European, not French, German, British, etc. In the very long term, that might happen, but short of a couple of generations, not a prayer.
Or, a small independent island nation, trading with that state, but running our own affairs.
There are advantages to both, and neither is perfect. The choice, ultimately, is a philosophical one.
