We are so bored by the EU referendum campaign especially after last night’s Question time from Folkestone. And just think there is still another 12 days to go to polling day.
We are bored by the television representation that both, whether by design or not, makes it clear that this is in part about Conservative in-fighting and at the same time ignores anything anyone else has to say.
We are very concerned that in all this the substantial political issues that need to be addressed in this country and in our district, are and were ignored on Question Time, and will be if Brexit is to happen as the entire political capital of governments to come is expended on creating new regulation to replace the reasonably functional arrangements that we already have.
As an exercise in neutering the role of both politics and government Brexit has been the best diversion those who have a deep dislike of both democracy and the state could have come up with. It is, to be frank, working at that level, and worryingly is likely to do so for a long time to come.
So let us remind you while all this is going on our state is being sold off.
Inequality is rising.
The economy is under-performing.
Food banks are continuing
Businesses are failing.
We still face another banking crisis as the issues from 2008 have yet to be addressed.
HMRC is being torn apart by politicians who do not want to collect tax so that they have an excuse to shrink the state.
The north-south divide is growing.
Real wages remain insufficient to make ends meet for far too many.
The housing situation is getting worse.
The NHS is at breaking point.
Mental health services are hopelessly inadequate to meet need.
Student debt is crushing opportunity.
Class sizes are growing out of control.
Universal credit is not working.
Social security sanctions are delivering misery to many.
The tax gap remains out of control.
The court system may already be broken.
The planet is burning.
Biodiversity is reducing.
And we are wasting our time debating whether to change the terms of trade with Europe in ways that will have no real impact at all at the end of the day, because we will remain wholly EU compliant, come what may.
Could it be that we’re suffering the greatest political con trick of all time?
