Friday 8 January 2016

Seriously, what is the point of this?


The thing I find especially loathsome about this here Matthew Elliot operation is the presumption that their campaign is somehow superior to that of Arron Banks's effort on the basis that it avoids primary colours - and for some reason publishes in beigey salmon colour that cheap landlords paint stairwells in.

But the actual substance of their campaign is no less asinine than that of Ukip et al. For starters our net contribution to the EU is something like 8.2bn - and that pays for certain useful services we would retian if we left the EU.

It is inconceivable that any Brexit scenario sees us keeping all the money - and if we did, we would have to spend it elsewhere to make up the shortfalls in trade caused by a discontinuation of single market membership (as BfB implies here). The chances of it being spent on schools and roads are absolutely nil. Especially when handed to Yorkshire local authorities.

What it actually says about the campaign is that we're happy to end all international cooperation (by way of no longer paying for it) - which is about as insular and inward looking little Englander as you can possibly get. Sure, it doesn't actually say that - but that is what we can deduce from it.

Worse still, the Vote Leave newsletter (which I just deleted) makes a big issue of how much money we pay in total (another erroneous figure too). It couldn't be any more crass. We are in the top five richest nations and we're arguing over chump change as our main complaint about the EU!

Eventually, the Remain campaign will wake up to this. British Influence have already circulated infographics adequately demonstrating how little we spend in proportion to UK tax receipts - and if they ever get round to listing the value added services it pays for then Leave will look pathetic.

Course, this prompts readers to whinge at me saying I shouldn't be pointing out that our collective campaign is crap. Well, that's exactly what the opposition is going to do, so wouldn't it be a good idea to come up with some better arguments, some bigger ideas based on something more inspiring - and maybe NOT run a shitty campaign? Or is that too radical?

Matthew Elliott has rather proven with this that he is a one trick pony - and the trick is hugely underwhelming. Even if Mr Banks does not improve his campaign, there is no reason to believe the "For Britain" estate is any better equipped to win. At the very least, Leave.EU isn't boring. Or beige.

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