the brilliantly leaping gazelle

The polling stations have just closed for the European Referendum. The nation has voted and there will, of course, be the usual guff from either side, that no matter what the result, the real winner is democracy.

I disagree.

Democracy has been ill served, traduced and bastardised by this referendum.

Not because it’s happening in the first place – although that plays a part. Mention of parts puts me in mind of Nigel Farrage and I must own to a slight degree of sympathy for Nigel Farrage, something I hope I never have need to write again. This referendum is largely down to him and UKIP, helping to feed growing discontent amongst Conservative MP’s, leaving David Cameron feeling very threatened. And his reward for all that work? To be sidelined. To be a bit player. He’s like a footballer, who having picked up the ball in his own penalty area, dribbling past opposition players all the way down the length of the pitch, only to pass in the opposition penalty area and for someone else to score. He’s a bit like the political equivalent of Ryan Giggs’; except for the fact he’s never had a long affair with his brothers wife. And that Giggs’ is far more talented.

And not because both campaigns of the focused largely on economics – although that too plays, seemingly blind to the fact that concerns over how this will affect Britain’s place in the global financial market are a negligee issue to most people. If you’re a hedge fund manager, then yes, it might be. But most people manage their hedge with a trimmer. And not because of the shameless partisan reporting of the mainstream media. In print, newspapers have done their proprietors bidding – all of them who are anti the E.U. – by over the years running a succession of negative stories about Europe. A gradual corrosive undermining of the trust of their readers. The broadcasters haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory either, prostrating themselves before the altar of lead story exclusives, at the expense of meaningful explanation

No what really annoys me about this referendum is that everyone’s vote is of equal worth. It shouldn’t be. To my way of thinking, the closer they is to voting age, the more the result will affect them and so consequently their vote should count for have more worth. And it follows therefore the older one is, the less the result will affect them and their vote should be worth less. Not worthless. So if one is aged between 18 – 30, they should have full vote, a whole one. People aged between 30 – 50 to get half a vote, those aged between 50 – 80 get a quarter of a vote, and those over 80 well lets give them an eighth.

I feel very strongly that those with more to gain or lose whatever the result should have more say.

But democracy is the winner?