And whatever the decision is on Friday there will be no reason on earth for anyone to be dancing on the ceiling.

Come Friday 24th June 2016 the die will be cast. And the decision, whichever way it falls, will have far reaching and unknown consequences not only for the people of Great Britain, but for the world at large.

There will be no outright winner and no spoils for the victor. The outcome whatever it is scares me. It’s scary because on Friday morning if the leave vote prevails, we could very quickly become a deeply divided nation, as the social unrest which is already simmering just below the surface could explode, pitting brothers against brothers and religious factions fighting amongst themselves, culminating in a complete loss of community that has helped to define this wonderful and accommodating country. I have always embraced our multicultural land and fully appreciate the contribution these hardworking individuals make to our society. However I truly believe that without more rigorous border controls I fear the remain vote may result in a tidal wave of illegal migration that is likely to overwhelm us for the foreseeable future and the potential horrors of a divided nation could probably be even worse.

It also scares me because if we do leave the EU we could potentially be stepping into an economic abyss which could set the country back by years, and according to many sources, the repercussions of this action will reverberate around the world for a long time to come. And if we do remain how much of our future economic growth will be determined by a central governing body that has pretty much power of veto over everything we do? With an increasing population will we be able to pay the vast sums of money expected from us, to prop up other EU members who are incapable of balancing the books, without compromising our ability to adequately support our own. Health care is another prime example, which continues to be an emotive subject. Whilst I applaud the policy of providing free access to adequate healthcare facilities wherever one is in Europe – does this work in reality? There is evidence to suggest not, and if one embraces the spirit of the European unity and others fail to comply without any consequences it is very unfair indeed.

In my view, whilst in principle it seems workable, the idea of a single European community with everyone abiding by a set of common rules is fundamentally flawed. Each and every State has it’s own culture, traditions, customs and until recently it’s own currency. To believe that a common approach that can be applied to every aspect of life, whether it is geographic, economic, religious, culturally or at a personal level is completely unrealistic. I am also very concerned about the very understated, but published desire of the EU to mandate the adoption of a single currency after 2020. Does this mandate sound the death knell of the once respected British pound? I don’t think Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy have prospered greatly as a result of the Euro. In most cases inflation and unemployment skyrocketed and, except within a few pockets of these affected countries, this unhappy situation continues to be challenging, particularly for the younger generations.

The talk of a creating a European army is yet another scary proposal. Just look at the appalling behaviour of the fans at this years Euros football tournament. It’s a bloody game for Gods sake and the perpetrators of the violence are the current and future citizens of a united Europe and potential recruits for this proposed ‘super’ army. If we are unable to collaborate appropriately over a game, what are the chances of creating a single, fully functioning European military force? A strong, united militia needs strong leadership. I for one, would be very unhappy that if this were to happen and the appointed supreme commander hailed from say from Russia, Germany or France. And what would it would mean for NATO or the UN? See – dissension in the ranks already and it hadn’t even happened!

What has scared me even more is that the integrity, or rather the lack of it, of the politicians on both sides has been completely exposed. I have been a life long supporter of the Tory party and had great hopes for Mr Cameron and his team. While I completely understand the impossible position he is in, and would not want his job for all the money in the world, sadly the way he has conducted the remain campaign has been pretty atrocious. Don’t get me wrong, the leave mob are no better and unfortunately in some cases I think personal agendas have been the main drivers behind their actions and rhetoric. At the same time, commentary from the likes of Mr Donald Trump and some of the other European leaders is not helpful and has contributed greatly to the fear and uncertainty which has gripped many of the British electorate.

As far as I am aware, this is completely uncharted territory and there is no precedent from which to drawn upon. I object to being constantly bombarded with ‘scary’ and unsubstantiated statistics predicting substantial tax increases, diminishing value of our pension pot (no kidding), increased household financial burdens and our severely limited ability to trade profitably with other countries both inside the EU and the world beyond. If I am expected to believe that the lucrative trading relationships we enjoy with many nations will come to a grinding halt or slowly diminish, sorry it just doesn’t add up. And although I do understand some of the issues relating to a ‘free trade zone’, and the impact and scale of reinstated import and export levies – are these truly showstoppers and will they completely stifle our ability to be able to compete effectively and profitably on the world stage?

Whatever the result next Friday I am pretty sure the next few years will be very challenging indeed. But the $640,000 question has to be (taking inflation into account) – is it going to be any less challenging irrespective of whether we stay or we go? Nobody really knows.

I am desperately unhappy that it has come to this and desperately unhappy that I have to make a choice on Thursday. The decision has to be mine and mine alone. Abstaining is not an option. Whatever the outcome is on Friday I won’t be dancing on the ceiling or celebrating at all – because either way I am very fearful for the future