Don't Ask Me

Walking down my local high street over the weekend I was accosted by a man who wanted me to sign a petition. I don’t like signing petitions and on the whole I think they’re rather worthless exercises, so I was immediately predisposed to say no. My resolve was strengthened when I found out that this particular petition was calling for a referendum around the European constitution. The man asked me if I wanted to sign and I responded in the negative, to which his follow up was ‘Don’t you realise how important this is?’

Well, of course it’s incredibly important, which is the primary reason why I shouldn’t be asked for my opinion. My horribly ill-informed knee-jerk patriotism and attachment to imperial measurements are no basis for decision on an issue of this magnitude, and 99% of the population are no better equipped. I elect a Government to make these decisions for me because they employ thousands of people to look into the pros and cons and hopefully make an intelligent and emotion free commitment one way or the other.

Of course Europe is the kind of issue that can decide elections, as Daily Mail reading middle Englanders are particularly touchy about it, so any party nailing it’s views to the flagpole on this issue is likely to divide opinion. Calling a referendum is a convenient abdication but it’s not the right thing to do. People in this country have no idea what’s best for them in the long term. As a race we abhor change and would gladly vote any party into power who’s motto was ‘keeping things the way they are’, but maybe we need to adapt to survive and prosper as a nation, who knows?

I don’t have a clue, and just like everyone else would rather buy a pint than half a litre of beer, but what sort of a basis is that for ensuring our children grow up in a country with consistent economic growth and a decent standard of living? None at all, but that’s what people will vote on. We may feel validated by a referendum, as though Government policy is now decided by some form of reality television show, where we get to decide the future of our nation. But as the X Factor has proven with the various faceless, no talent, nobodies who have won it in the past, we are terrible judges.