Where do we put our cross with so much unclear?
One of my friends who reads these rants said to me the other day that I must have plenty to write about now. I asked why.
And she said because of the election coming up. But I answered that I don't do politics unless it's to do with farming. Afterwards, I thought perhaps I should, because we know nothing about what's going to happen including with agriculture.
After the fiasco of the Brexit vote, when we were duped into thinking that we did know enough to vote with confidence for our future, we are now in the same position, where we are asked to vote for the 'best party'. I haven't spoken to a single person who feels able to competently do this, and I don't remember elections being so fractious or scary before.
Do we know which will be better? Hard or soft Brexit. Do we believe 'them' when they tell us which will be best; do they know, and most importantly, do we believe them?
People seem to be very motivated about things at the moment. My children are having animated and heated rants (it must be in the genes!), with their friends on social media, which heartens me that they care, but worries me that they don't have any answers.
One of them whom I actually talked to, tried to explain the difference between hard and soft, and it seems a bit simpler, but then of course, he agreed that his explanation was based on what 'they' are saying, and do they know really, and are they telling us the truth and can we trust them to keep their word when it begins to happen. We neither of us thought so.
So we're back where we were with the Referendum. We could just blindfold ourselves and put our cross anywhere. It will be a result... but the right one?
Then we're told that the election is not about Brexit but about which is the best party to run the country subsequently. We don't trust any of them with our NHS, education the economy or farming, particularly when we were promised that the millions we would save, coming out, would be spent on farming, or health or schools or anything you want. These millions won't go round all these things, so which? They won't tell us until it's too late.
Has that clarified things for you? I do hope so, answers on a postcard please!
Rosemary Allen is a retired livestock farmer living near Ellesmere
