Star comment: Voters will call shots on Europe
Politicians have been calling the EU Referendum a twice-in-a-lifetime event. And, for once, they are right. The events of June 23, 2016 will have a profound effect on all of our lives.
Remarkably, we are the ones who will call the shots. Brussels and Westminster will take a backseat as democracy gets the final say. We the voters will decide our own destinies; the power is in our hands.
The battle will be fierce. Uniquely, the far left and far right find themselves in agreement. Conservatives from the middle ground find themselves sharing a stand with Labour. Traditional political alliances are out of the window as MPs, MEPs, party activists and others fight to be heard.
Big business has already spoken in favour of remaining in David Cameron's reformed Europe and the Prime Minister's argument that a Brexit would be a leap into the unknown will resonate with many. His assertion that we are safer and more prosperous in a new-look European Union will hold sway with swathes of the electorate.
However, the message from messers Farage and Johnson that we ought to have greater control of our own destiny and our own borders will also secure a great many votes. Their pitch that we should have the ultimate say on British affairs, rather than a European Supreme Court, will be at the heart of the debate.
In Shropshire, Mark Pritchard has said he will vote to stay because of, among other things, the security of the UK. He will be joined by Defence Minister Philip Dunne. Daniel Kawczynski, Owen Paterson and Lucy Allan will, however, campaign to leave.
The biggest loser in the debate might well be the Conservative Party. It is divided on the issue of whether to stay or go and old rifts will be reopened in coming months. Whether those rifts will heal in the weeks and months following the referendum remains to be seen.
It could be argued that the greatest winner in the Scottish referendum was democracy itself. The electorate engaged in the process with greater interest than at any other time in modern history. The debate was articulate, generally dignified, with a few notable exceptions, and could have gone either way.
One hopes the EU vote follows a similar pattern. It is a profoundly important moment for this nation and all should engage.
