SO, tonight the European Championships start…. and England’s first game is tomorrow night, which means I have around 24 hours more optimism time before reality is hammered home by the Russians…
It’s always interesting to be in Sirane Towers during a major sporting championships. We’re well represented… as well as the English, we’ve a smattering of Poles, a small collection of French (not sure what the collective noun is for the French or Poles, although I am sure Nigel Farage has a few suggestions up his sleeve) and a token Welshman. Somewhat suprisingly perhaps, no-one Irish, not even anyone that I am aware of who claims to be descended from Irish immigrants. Nearest we’ve got is James, our medical sales guy, because he drinks Guinness… oh how stereotypical.
Speaking of which, earlier this afternoon I gave him the good news from the office sweepstake. Told him he’d drawn out Argentina. Seemed very pleased, as they’re a strong team… well, if Australia are allowed to enter the Eurovision Song Contest, who knows what crazy arrangement might have been come to with regards the Euros…
Anyway, as it’s impossible to move without hearing about the referendum – the annoyingly branded Brexit – here’s what I think. I think it is impossible to not walk around without The Clash’s Should I Stay Or Should I Go in my head. And did they? Stay or go I mean? What was the conclusion of the song? And should that carry any weight in this decision making process?… Hang on, « if go there will be trouble »…. okay, so that’s a remain then. « But if I stay it will be double »…. ooh dear. Don’t like the sound of double Brexit trouble. The Clash think we should go… but apparently East 17 think we should stay another day.
I’m being flippant. Obviously. I wouldn’t cast my vote on the basis of the lyrics to a 1970s or 1990s song. Or would I? But the point is, no-one on either party seems to be offering any logical, rational argument for voting either way. I just want someone somewhere to sit me down and say right, here’s the facts, forget the bulls**t rhetoric and scaremongering, this is what actually matters. I tried to watch the ITV referendum debate last night, but it was no help. It has like children in a playground. Nicola ‘Remain’ Sturgeon’s entire counter-argument to Boris ‘Leave’ Johnson seemed to basically be « we’re better staying, and anyway you just want to be Prime Mininster. You’re only in it for David Cameron’s job ». How insulting is that? I’m no fan of Boris Johnson, other that as a figure of fun on Have I Got News For You, but to suggest he wants the UK to leave the EU in order to become PM? Seriously… But that was just the tip of the iceberg, there were equally ludicrous suggestions flying in both directions, from all six panellists.
But ludicrous seems to sum up the whole Brexit debacle to me. The whole thing is a series of ludicrous lies from both sides, with the truth somewhere in between the two. And how many voters will bother to disseminate the truth from the lies, the facts from the fiction. Which means the country could end up making the wrong decision (whichever that is).
Anyway… here’s my predictions (not necessarily what I want to happen, just my predictions. Brexit vote: leave. Euro2016: Belgium…. you heard it here first. As for Argentina…
MARK LINGARD, MARKETING