How Leave can win

While I have my bleak and pessimistic days, I have to remind myself that winning is still possible. It's just case of getting a few simple messages out to everybody.

Firstly that leaving the EU is not a risk to life and limb and that Martians will not invade. We know this is true because even though there are bitter disputes about the models on offer, they're all with a view to retaining single market access with no tariffs. The disputes come from some on our side being woefully under-informed as to what concessions are required of us in order to achieve this.

The point being that we don't want a messy separation and nor does the EU. Nobody wants it dragging on and nobody wants to introduce unnecessary risk. The Euro couldn't cope otherwise. It's pretty well established now that some freedom of movement is involved, there isn't much deregulation and we're not going to be saving much money any time soon - but that's ok. Leaving the EU is a process, not an event.  

In this, the Leave campaigns are bunch of mouth-breathing dunces who don't understand this - and we shouldn't be afraid to say so. This is the people's referendum and the Leave campaigns are a bunch of third rate politicians and SW1 hacks who we need to disown if we want to win. It's my voice and your voice that matters - not them. Especially NOT Boris Johnson.

When talking to undecided people, I make a point of hanging a lantern on the fact the Leave campaign are monstrously stupid because the bolder I am in saying so, the more honest and reasonable I seem. The Leave and Remain camps are propaganda outfits and they are all pushing lies, distortions and untruths. Let's ignore them. And let's ignore MPs too.

The fact is we are going to have to make compromises to leave the EU - it's no silver bullet and a lot of hard liners are going to be disappointed. But that's ok because the hard liners are in the extreme minority. They are loud so they set the tone of the Leave campaigns but that's only to be expected when you have a massive idiot like Arron Banks at the helm.

In the end voters will respect honesty and integrity over hyperbole and spin. We are all sick to death of it. The above illustration shows that we can leave the EU but stay in the single market and there are a great many benefits to doing to. I expand on some of these issues in this post.

It's not going to be as simple as knocking up a free trade deal and it is not going to be completed overnight and it will require a gradual evolution away from the decades of political integration - the same way as we went in. It's not exactly what we wanted, but it's the safest, most reassuring way.

The ultimate goal is greater participation in global affairs as an independent state with an enhanced democracy and revitalised politics. What we are saying is that Brexit is the first step in a long road to proper democracy.

While there is no such thing as full sovereignty in global politics and regulation anymore some is better than none - and while we are in the EU, the EU is ultimately the supreme authority to whom the people cannot say no. By definition, that is not a democracy - and will never be one. We need to say so.

David Cameron's "reforms" are not legally binding - they do not in any way modify the founding treaties and reform is not even on the table. The EU is unreformable therefore there is no reason to stay. Because Cameron's reforms are a transparent sham, this referendum really solves nothing unless we do leave and the issue will not go away until until we do. That has problems and uncertainties of its own.

This referendum is our chance to leave the EU amicably, peacefully and carefully - and it is our last chance. The real question is: Do you want Britain to run under the umbrella of a supreme government for Europe? We don't and never did.

Yes, Brexit presents us with some technical difficulties to overcome - but they are not insurmountable - and if we truly stand for democracy then we should not flinch from that challenge. There is never going to be a convenient time to do it so now is as good a time as any - and it presents a great many opportunities in that we will have a new found agility abroad and new found freedoms at home.

It's not going to see the Tories feeding workers rights into the shredder, nor is it going to see Labour renationalise the railways. They will only get away with what we allow. That's the deal with democracy.

If we can speak to people in those terms - with integrity, realism and truth then we can win. We won't change minds by lying to people and we certainly won't win allies by not treating people like adults. 

So, in case you were wondering, I'm still going to heap scorn on Farage, Hannan, Johnson, Hoey and all the hacks because I don't see their witless hyperventilation as an asset to our cause. If they were a political party I would want them to lose. So really let's keep this referendum a people's referendum, ignore the losers on both sides - and speak directly to each other.