I'm So Bored of the Brexit Vote

That's actually not a bad way to approach life in general, but who knows how the British will actually vote in the referendum - will it be a rollercoaster ride or will we play safe? Let's find out on June the 23rd.

Who else is bored of Brexit? I am and I don't even live in the UK these days, however I was back there last week and every time I passed a TV or radio I heard Brexit debated endlessly. I can't even escape it here at my home in Brazil as all my online news and podcasts are now filled with Brexit arguments.

But are any minds being changed by the discussion? I don't think so. If you are certain of voting yes or no then that's fine, you are probably ignoring the debate. But if you are not sure then none of the media noise is going to help you make an informed decision. Both the yes and no camps are dripping endless misinformation and distortion to the media - there is no way to know who is really telling the truth and who is telling half-truths or distorting facts.

The problem is that the undecided people want facts and certainty. They want to know what will really happen if the UK stays in or leaves the EU. The people are not asking for estimates or predictions, they want certainties and hard truths where none exist. Nobody really knows what will happen to the EU if a country the size of the UK pulls out and nobody knows if things will get better if we stay in. Both sides can trot out their economic forecasts and both can insist that they are correct.

The media discussions endlessly dance around this issue and the people continue asking for certainty. Pundits, business leaders, and academics tell us that their version of future events is the truth, but it's easy to see statements from both sides as probable.

For instance, look at the business arguments. It's true that a large European trading bloc without tariffs helps a company like BMW ship their cars to the UK market, but does anyone really think that BMW would ignore a market of 60 million people if the UK were not in the union? I see BMW cars all the time in the USA and Brazil and these countries are also not in the EU.

Of course, this doublespeak and obfuscation exists on both sides of the debate. I have a British passport and I happily self-identify as a European with the right to live and work anywhere in the EU. That right may be stripped from me if the UK leaves the union, but does anyone imagine that there would really be an end to migration if the UK left the EU?

Business today has a global focus. They don't hire based on people living within commuting distance of an office, they just hire the best from anywhere in the world. Migration will still be taking place, even if the UK is not inside the EU, only it will be justified by the politicians as being essential for the economy because there are not enough workers locally with the right skills.

So make up your own mind on whether you want to stay in the EU or not, but think about it and try to search out some real information, don't rely on the endless media discussion and radio phone-ins. Nobody is sharing any information worth debating. I can't see any minds being changed.

Personally I'm still on the fence on this one and that's unusual for me as I'm usually quite determined in my political views, but this vote is non-partisan and very different to a normal election. I do like my father's approach though. Last week he told me that he doesn't believe any of the commentators, but to stay in a system that doesn't work is boring and to leave would be an adventure.

That's actually not a bad way to approach life in general, but who knows how the British will actually vote in the referendum - will it be a rollercoaster ride or will we play safe? Let's find out on June the 23rd.

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