Taking Stock - February 22, 2016

Rightly or wrongly the British people have been promised a vote on the biggest in out conundrum since the advent of the Hokey Cokey.

If you’d have asked me 10-years-ago my answer to the question would have been a pretty unequivocal ‘oui’.

I like Europe.

For a start in contains Tuscany.

Then there’s Belgium - the land of chips, chocolate and beer - and Spain for sunshine, Sangria and churros.

France, while containing the French, is an undeniably beautiful place and besides I probably wouldn’t have my eldest daughter if it wasn’t for a two night minibreak in Paris...

But I’m not sure the rapid expansion of the EU has necessarily been good news.

The big debate now is over whether we remain European or retreat back within the borders of our sceptered isles.

And right now, I just don’t know.

And that’s partly because the arguments, so far, haven’t been pitched at the common man.

There’s been plenty of talk about immigration about the impact on British business.

But that’s all big picture stuff, preaching to the converted in both camps.

Nobody has yet told me what it will do to my shopping bill, to my family holiday, to my children’s education - will we get our own Disneyland having been forced to years to share with those continental types?

The people have been given the power to decide but, as yet, have not been given the tools to do so - both camps wrapped up in a Westminster centred debate.

It shouldn’t be about scaremongering, about worst case scenarios - bringing the politics of Trump to our shores.

It’s time to start selling the argument to the common man.

I’m always being told I’m quite common, why not start with me!