On Friday night an exhausted David Cameron returned from hours of negotiating with Europe’s most powerful to predictably announce he’d got a deal worth staying in for.  By Sunday the PM had met his cabinet and claimed he’d had a good night’s sleep before appearing on BBC’s Marr show. He said repeatedly that linking arms with Nigel Farage and George Galloway to take a leap in the dark was the wrong thing to do. Galloway had made a surprise “special guest appearance” at an out rally the day before only to see many of its supporting walk out on his arrival. Remarkably the mad cap former respect MP and celebrity big brother cat impersonator accused the daily politics presenter, Jo Coburn of misleading him into appearing on the show on Monday, and claimed he wasn’t there to talk about him.

The other big name outer of course announced his intention to back the campaign to leave the EU late on Sunday evening as London Mayor Boris Johnson said he thought Cameron had not got enough. He later said that he thought an out vote would force the EU back to the negotiating table. Cameron then responded that he had never known a couple start divorce proceedings in order to renew their wedding vows.

Johnson immediately became the bookies favourites to be the next leader of the Tory party although his Dad has been quoted as saying that his son was “unlikely to get a cosy seat in the cabinet” after his announcement and called it potentially career ending. 

Not surprisingly many jumped to say Boris’ announcement was more about his own personal ambitions to be become leader rather than his opinion on Europe. With Cameron already declaring he will step down before the next election Boris was already many people’s favourite to succeed him before he was even elected as an MP. Increasingly, people are saying if the electorate decides to leave the EU in June that Cameron would be forced to resign at once. Personally I agree with that opinion. Having slung weight behind the in campaign, to go down in history as the Prime minister that failed to keep the country in Europe would be a disaster for him. The media pressure would force him out in days if not hours, as was the case after the general election with defeated Ed Miliband and obliterated Nick Clegg.

For months there has been hours of debate and yards of column inches from both sides of the argument, yet still most people have little or no idea what the consequences will be. Staying in Europe will mean refugees will continue to steal our houses, our women, our jobs, our benefits and our hospital beds. Europe will continue to force laws upon us that we don’t want like not being allowed to sell straight bananas and banning us from leaving poor people to starve to death. Others claim that countries such as Iceland do fine without EU membership while their opponents claim that they pay a premium for the pleasure.

Remaining in Europe will absolutely make us more vulnerable to attack from Isis say some while others say coming out would make us vulnerable to attacks from everywhere. Over 1000 immigrants ran amock on New Year’s eve in Germany as organised gangs ran feril molesting women – they will be here next New years eve if we stay in Europe. If Turkey are allowed to join the EU thousands of Syrians will flood into Europe and the UK will forced to provide housing and benefits for them. If we leave the EU we will no longer be able to enjoy Indian food as all the chefs will be forced to leave. Even worse news is that the referendum will held during the 2016 European football championships and exit could see England thrown out of the tournament even before they are beaten on penalties by the Germans.

I don’t know if any of these claims have any factual basis at all. Like most people I sit and listen to these argument being spewed out across our TV networks and read the pages of expert anylisis from people in the know and think is it really worth the risk of coming out. Some will no doubt decide that coming out will mean all the brown people will have suddenly leave our once beautiful country, while more sensible people will think that actually it’s nice that their children go to school with kids born on the other side of the world and play happily without any discrimination. For many it is a joy that it is now the norm for a diverse community to enjoy each other’s culture and respect each other’s beliefs.

Most will not be able to decide whether we will be financially better off in or out and most people have no comprehension of our government’s sovereignty or the rules of the games the politicians play.  What they will be able to judge is which of the players they trust or dislike. On the side campaigning for exit form Europe are Eton educated buffoon Johnson and publicity whore Galloway. Also on the outside is DWP minister Iain Duncan Smith, the man who fist punched the air when the chancellor announced punishing cuts to benefits.  Former Scots Guard Duncan Smith has faced calls to resign after being found inventing figures to support his policies. He has been anti Europe for many years since opposing former leader Joh Majors pro EU agenda. There is a great debate to be had about which of the two former leaders were dullest with IDS famously once saying “never under estimate the quiet man”.

Michael Gove is another high profile Tory to jump on the out band wagon. Justice secretary Gove said that Britain would be freer fairer and better off outside the EU. “by leaving the EU we can show the rest of Europe the way to flourish” he said after wrestling for weeks with what he called the most difficult decision of his political life. Gove was formerly secretary of state for education where he received votes of no confidence from the association of teachers and lectures, the National union of teachers, and NASUWT.  The national association of head teachers accused Gove of creating a climate of bullying, intimidation and fear.

Chris Grayling former Justice secretary and current leader of the house of commons is another top Tory backing the out campaign. When home secretary Grayling was accused of being creative with statistics when he claimed that every constituency in the country’s crime rate had increased, failing to mention that they were using a new measure.  During his time in Justice he dubbed Failing Grayling when his department lost important personal documents in the post.

The loudest and most gleeful champion of exit will of course be UKIP leader Nigel Farage. With one MP his party still manages to get more air time and talk time on the BBC than most other parties. When he appears on such shows he displays an incredible talent of turning whatever topic is being discussed into a debate about the EU. The former Tory party member who was a founding member of UKIP was once quoted as saying he would be concerned if a group of Romanian men moved in next door to him and has said that the basic principle of Enoch Powell’s rivers of blood speech were correct.

On the stay in side are leader of the Labour part Jeremy Corbyn and Prime minister David Cameron and his Chancellor George Osbourn.  If it comes down to vote of trust in the mouth pieces for the argument then England may well get chance to lose on penalties to Germany while remaining in the EU.