|
It's not about Cameron v
Boris
THIS is the most dangerous time the UK has faced in politics in living memory
and sadly, the media is making this a personality contest. We need less sound
bites and silly headline grabbing stunts and more facts. The booklet sent out by
the Government making a strong case to stay in is a good idea, but this should
have been accompanied by an objective statement of the case for leaving. Sadly,
neither side is presenting their arguments clearly. Both sides are obfuscating
the facts with unwanted drivel and scare stories not rooted in fact. Whether we
stay or go, this affects not just the UK, but the world. Unfortunately, it seems
that many people are not considering both sides of the argument and their
implications. They are being whipped up by misleading information, from
immigration to what we get and do not get from the EU. True debate is being
overlooked and this could cost us all for generations to come, should we get
this wrong. A Brexit could prove extremely bad, both long term and short term,
but so too could staying in. Sadly, the Brexit campaign has become just a
personality contest of late, with no facts to support their views being given
out. On the other hand the 'Stay in the EU' camp are not being listened as they
are putting out too much complex written information including mathematical
formulae which are being regarded with great suspicion by many. Plus, the
booklet is perhaps being perceived as purely Conservative government propaganda
and frankly most of the media are anti the Conservative Government at the
moment. This has led to an exit being seen as a way for the general public to
bloody nose of the Government, as they do not see the EU doing anything for
them, so why should they be bothered. Should the media be turning it into a
Cameron v Boris, sound bite, campaign? Does the general public really know the
full facts from both sides and do they care? Do people really understand how
dangerous a wrong vote could? Sadly, only time will tell... But we need to look
more at how we are reporting this in the media, Some sectors of the UK press are
very myopic; some not taking full responsibility. However the dilemma is to
present objective facts whilst holding a strong and very partial view. Have we
still the time to accomplish the complex task of arming the public with the
requite information necessary for an informed choice? It will be interesting to
see what other people think. Are we getting our reporting wrong in the UK? With
headlines like:- "Brexit Would Cost UK Families £4,300 A Year" and "Let us say
knickers to the pessimists" making daily copy, online and offline, we are being
told by our readers they are already fed up with it. Sadly, in the UK, we will
have to expect some more bizarre scenes and headlines, as modern politics
descends into more and more American style sound bite culture. This is in part
also down to a generation who are being led to believe that short, quick to read
nibs on blog websites, gossip columns and twitter posts are all you need to
know. Often disillusioned they feel they can have little influence on
conventional politics so are prone to making misleading and exaggerated claims
on social media. To many in the media, it looks like we are being forced by PR
groups on both sides to run this as a Cameron v Boris election and on the Out
vote, to push the "kick Cameron" view. Oddly, when you do try to give facts,
most people's minds seem to be made up by this strange and dangerous mindset
already, leading too many just turning off and not taking notice. Well facts are
boring aren't they, plus you have to take time to read during our already hectic
lives! But is this culture of voting via facts gained from the spoon fed
selections of click bait sound bites going to hurt us for generations to come?
When it comes to putting the X on the paper, on 23 June 2016, in the referendum,
it should not be about personalities, it should be about the facts, but how many
will be looking at the facts concerning the complex issue of the future of the
EU. So far only the pro-EU camps have given any hard facts. The eurosceptics so
far have just been using anti Conservative Government feelings, plus lots of
unsupported statements to dominate the headlines. This is the British version of
the Donald Trump campaign, but at least in the US, if Donald Trump is voted in
and they do not like him, he can be voted out next time round. This is
definitely not an option for the UK and neither side has made this clear. What do
you, our readers think? Do you think we are heading down a dangerous path? How
have you made up your mind, or have you? Are you going to vote? Do you care?
Please email your thoughts and views to:-
News24@southportReporter.com and let
us know.
Fact file...
Did you know that this referendum result is not legally binding? Technically MPs
can still block an EU exit after the referendum, but it would be seen as
political suicide to go against the will of the people. Plus if the people
expressed a view to leave, in a referendum and we did not go, it could lead to
unrest, equally if we vote to stay in and Parliament pulls us out, the same
would be the case.
Did you know that should we vote to 'Leave' the EU, Parliament will still have
to pass laws that would allow Britain to pull out of the 28 nation bloc?
Interestingly 1 of those many laws that would have to repeal would be the
infamous 1972 European Communities Act.
|
