Politics is rapidly becoming the bane of my life. Whether it is following the news, discussing the government’s new policy or just being socially ‘political’ (come on, we’ve all been there), I’m increasingly beginning to realise that the rhetoric is becoming a bit of a joke.
When I realise my friends thought I was a political snob, and a right-winger at that (don’t worry, I’m not), they laugh and think I’m a bit of a joke. To be perfectly honest, they’re right- it’s not really my cup of tea as of late.
One particularly toxic debate currently dominating the UK media is our membership in the European Union, and it exploded on the front pages again last week with the erecting of inarguably offensive UKIP billboards sporting the slogan ‘Take back control of our country’.
As you may have guessed, the gearing up to the European elections has again conjoined two of the most virulent debates in UK Politics – immigration and the EU. I mean, Thatcher was chucked out for it.
Frankly, it seems that no-one actually knows enough to make a rational argument – and that can be clearly seen with leading political figures, including Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage. Love it or hate it, I can’t seem to understand why people ever really choose a side when it comes to the EU anyway.
As I become more and more familiar with the key EU arguments, I find I hate every aspect of the debate.
It’s true I have no strong views on the matter but I find that the colouful, erroneous debates do not encourage me at all. It’s probably a good explanation for student apathy even if I’m certain students have some sort passion and awareness of the political terrain around us.
It’s a shame really that UKIP members are doing themselves an injustice. I believe the party has a strong foundation as a respectable and influential political party.
But what I find interestingly bizarre is the left-right tendencies within the EU debate, that UKIP have seeemed to encourage. The idea that those who want to stay in the EU are of the left and those who want to leave are rabid right-wingers is ridiculous.
The debate should be about Britain wanting to remain an independent state – and doesn’t need the partisan paintbrush.
Which is why UKIP don’t help the Eurosceptic’s cause with their ridiculously misguided campaigns.
What UKIP stand for genuinely has some grounding and yes, their political arguments on immigration have a basic foundation that I can relate to.
I find it difficult to see how voters would look past the racist and homphobic perceptions of the party to see the valuable work they put in on an arguably worthwhile cause.
It’s funny how the simple things, such as a misguided billboard can really question why you’re involved with a cause.
I’m not exactly a politician and I couldn’t care less about what people thought about my views but I’ve always felt that I wanted to make an impact in this world. And that’s a lifetime commitment.
I feel we’re just not, and never really will be, truly European. It seems inconsistent with my argument but I feel that time will tell.
Let’s just have the referendum now and maybe I’ll make a decision once the result has been announced.