The EU referendum is an extremely important vote which allows the UK public to express their views on whether Britain should stay in the EU or leave it. I personally do not often enjoy talking about politics; I believe that it should be one’s own choice, and whilst healthy debate is important and insightful, it can get heated and even cause some people to worry about the choices they want to make. I would encourage as many people to read up about it from multiple sources (beware of bias!) and to try and understand the situation, and make an informed decision.

Firstly, I would like to briefly talk about the fact that I take issue with the actual proposed question. A referendum is, by definition, a yes/no question; however, the question that will be asked is: should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? Obviously, this is not a yes/no question, and this is a real issue. These questions should be unambiguous and without bias, but this question is loaded. If you answer ‘yes’, are you answering yes to staying or leaving? As a linguist, this is obviously an issue. I truly believe that this is poor on the part of the question writers. But enough about my linguistic prejudice; that’s not the main point I am trying to make.

One of my lecturers told me that Rupert Murdoch was quoted as saying: “when I go into Downing Street they do as I say; when I go to Brussels they take no notice.” For anyone that’s not sure who Rupert Murdoch is, he is listed as: the Chairman and CEO of News Corporation (1979-2013); Executive chairman of News Corporation (2013-present); Chairman and CEO of 21st Century Fox (2013-2015); and Executive co-chairman of 21st Century Fox (2015-present). He formed Sky and was infamous for being involved in the News of the World phone hacking scandal. Basically, this one man owns a lot of the news.

This quote is a jaw-dropper; one of the biggest media moguls wants to leave the EU because he has Downing Street wrapped around his little finger but not the rest of the continent. To be honest, I don’t think that bodes particularly well for us.

The other biggest issue surrounding the membership with the EU is the fact that citizens from the EU countries are allowed to freely move through EU borders and not have to apply for visas to move to a different country. I personally feel that this is a real benefit for us and for other countries. To me, it doesn’t seem sensible to alienate the most part of the continent, and the freedom of travel in and out of the country is a good thing, allowing for diversity in our country. Also, dealings with other European countries in business and trade would be damaged if Britain left the EU.

I know I have only highlighted my point of view which is why it is important for everyone to do some research and work out what they believe is best for the country.

The referendum allows us to tell the government what we think, and we should not squander that opportunity. The vote is on Thursday the 23rd of June and if you’re away at that time, you can also vote by post. I urge to register and to have your say!