Referendum tomorrow 23rd June 2016

Europe’s most well kept secret is that there is an EU referendum tomorrow in the United Kingdom. So secret is this that only two people know of it, their names are #Remain & #Brexit. You may feel these are strange names but in this post modern twittersphere names starting with (#) hashtag are the norm.#ReallyWantedAGirl or maybe #AlbertNamedafterMyGrandad it’s hilarious.

Anyway tomorrow the cat’s out of the bag, the BBC will begin the usual all night political vigil akin to a state funeral to whichever side of the debate is losing. Here in Gibraltar we shall probably be still deciding it’s a good thing. The outcome I mean as it is pretty certain that the majority will vote #Remain. We’ve had two big combat indicators to that. Firstly Cameron planned to come and deliver a referendum speech which I’m guessing so close to the debate he’d be foolish to do somewhere where

he’s likely to get a frosty reception. Secondly the #Remain campaign planned a rally in Casemates Square several weeks back to much fanfare and cost. Of the 7 people that were there 4 of them were holding the tablecloth down to stop the blowing wind of change casting their pamphlets skywards.

I was asked the question which way would you vote if you lived in UK and not Gibraltar? An interesting question because I believe the politicians have seriously nobbled this vote by their antagonism to anyone not voting their way. Some of the rhetoric could come straight out of the schoolyard but proffered by adults pushing a negative vote as almost the end of society as we know it. Gibraltar has clear lines of sight on this issue. The border and the way Spain has weaponized it through the years and like most weapons it is indiscriminate striking Spanish and Gibraltarians going about their normal legal business. Also the benefits are clear with the economic help to our infrastructure but even more so the regulations that come from Europe to ensure rights are enshrined for each person in every country. Clearly sovereignty has nothing to do with either which is why European membership is even more important to the minnows of the continent. The choice is stark continuing economic health even growth or the possibility of more lengthy border queues  with some decanting of businesses to areas like Malta, Jersey/Guernsey with the knock on effect on our tax revenue.