Some Brexiteers have been offended by the suggestion that they were not in full possession of the facts when they voted. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk recently said that he has been ‘wondering what a special place in hell looks like for those who proposed Brexit without a sketch of a plan’.

Below are twenty five questions which must be completed before 29th March 2019.

1. Explain using a diagram if necessary, what are the seven institutions of the European Union, their functions and their interrelationships.

1.a. Highlight in your answer those which contain directly elected representatives and which not with reasons.

2. Explain, in the context of the British Monarchy, the House of Lords, the Law Lords, the Church of England – why elected institutions are desirable.

3. The United Kingdom has become the fifth richest nation in the world, possibly partly due to it’s integration with Europe. Explain why it should not share it’s wealth with developing European countries. In other words, do you support the Sheriff of Nottingham or Robin Hood and why?

4. In no more than 20,000 words; what will be the principle effects on Europe from the UK leaving the EU? Give your answer in terms of; international security (such as the expansion of Russia into Europe), scientific and academic research projects, industrial production and world trade routes, inter European trade agreements, agriculture and fisheries, existing shared governmental and non governmental projects and charitable enterprises, education, health, sport, trade, tariffs, law enforcement, the custom union and the protection of borders from criminality, undocumented immigration, terrorism and espionage, cultural exchange and artistic excellence, tourism, environmental protection through existing laws and conservation projects and other aspects of European life that you understand may be affected by Brexit.

5. In no more that 20,000 words, describe the benefits to the United Kingdom in terms of the points in question 4 and which of the UK’s interests are shared with Europe’s.

6. Did you vote for your MEP?

7. The United Kingdom has voted for 95% of European Laws, vetoed 2% and voted against 3%. Which of these European Laws have contributed to the welfare of the UK citizens and which have harmed UK citizens – in your view?

8. The UK will not have access via forty trade agreements into the European market, after Brexit. Which countries within Europe will the UK continue to trade with and on what terms?

9. With which countries outside the EU will the UK seek to trade and on what terms? Prime MinisterTeresa May visited Africa in the summer of 2018 to promote trade with the UK, so include African scientific research, industrial innovation and products and design in your answer. You might also include China, India and Brazil in your answer, even though Teresa May did not visit those countries.

10. Describe, using the English language, why it is easier to trade with countries such as China (where there are eight different linguistic groups and hundreds of dialects) or India (where there are twenty two languages spoken) than in Europe where the most commonly spoken second language is, English.

11. What will be the effect of trade tariffs on UK exports and imports? Why is this beneficial for the average shopper in a UK high street?

12. The pound has weakened as a result of the Brexit referendum. This is good for exports and bad for imports and tourism. Does this beneficial the average person in the street or industry?

13. What effect on inflation will the weak pound have and describe using statistical projections, how this will affect young families with mortgages and their weekly shopping costs.

14. What will be the effect of World Trade Rules on inflation and describe using statistical projections such as graphs, how this will affect young families with mortgages and their weekly shopping costs.

15. Which Social Services in the United Kingdom will struggle with demand as a result of the ‘perfect storm’ they are currently experiencing following the 2008 recession (‘austerity’), Tory government policy to repay the national debt, immigration from Commonwealth Countries and around the world and Brexit?

16. Four out of five legal immigrants are welcomed from non-European countries into the United Kingdom. Describe how reducing migrants from Europe will impact on immigration into the UK.

16.a. Which European immigrants do you believe the United Kingdom does not need;

• Health Workers
• Care Assistants
• Construction workers
• Seasonal Agricultural workers
• Tourism and Hospitality workers
• Students

How would you fill these posts with United Kingdom citizens currently living on state benefits (as may have their parents and grand parents)? What is your strongest argument to persuade them to work similar hours to which Europeans work for less money than they currently get, particularly in Health and Hospitality?

All voters in the referendum to leave Europe, were aware of the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and in particular the requirement to keep the border open. In a sentence; what is your solution to keeping an open border between North and South Ireland. Include in your answer why only you have an idea that will be acceptable to all parties and why after an irreversible referendum is the best time to seek a solution and not before.

17. The referendum was determined to be decided on a majority view – however small – that is on a 50/50 basis. Describe which elected representative made this decision and how they did not believe a narrow majority would leave the UK and it’s Government ‘dangerously divided’ (in the words of Teresa May describing a second referendum.)

17.a. If the referendum had required a 60/40 majority or a 66/33 majority as is more common, would the the country have been easier to motivate and govern, which ever way the people voted?

18. How is the United Kingdom more secure from world threats by being outside Europe?

18.a How is Europe more secure from world threats without the United Kingdom?

18.b. Does the role of the United Kingdom in the two world wars suggest that it’s influence in guiding Europe through peace, is one of the most important legacies it can give it’s children?

18.c Should the weakening of the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the United States of America suggest Europe is a more reliable world partner?

19. Describe how UK farmers will prosper without a subsidy – sometimes as much as fifty per cent of a farm’s income.

20. How will the UK fish stocks prosper without the present system of quotas and the new ‘throw away’ law? Describe the effect of these changes on the UK fishing fleet workers and how this will affect the price, availability and choice of fish in UK shops.

21. There are very successful shared academic research projects funded by Europe in which UK universities provide important leadership and support and gain benefit. Describe the effect of leaving the EU on these endeavours and how the UK will benefit from any changes after leaving the EU.

22. The vote to leave was described as a once in a lifetime opportunity. How will your children and grand children benefit in terms of family life, health, social benefits, work, pensions, travel, environmental improvement, national and international security and personal development?

23. Thomas Paine, George Washington, Sir James Goldsmith, Nigel Farage, David Cameron, all had a vision of independence for their countries. Compare and Contrast their ideas, motivation and methods and why the politics of multi-cultural cooperation and integration is inferior.

24. The United Kingdom Police do not need access to Europol or European Arrest Warrants to do their job. Comment on this statement in the light of post-Brexit policing.

25. When a multi level organisation is changed there are always unintended consequences. List three which you expect will be beneficial after Brexit and three that you think will not.

In an age when news is available almost as soon as it happens, there  must be a rigorous approach to understanding the truth of what is being reported.

The most basic aspect of reported news is that it is second hand information. In other words it has been processed, even if it is just a photograph or a short video – the viewer and or image processor has ‘filtered’ the image through the view of the viewer. For instance, if you wish to present a politic march as peaceful, you take photographs of people marching peacefully. If you wish to present the march as antagonistic and violent, you feature the occasion where there was violence. Even if neither of these states occurred it is a simple matter to copy and paste alternative messages on banners or people holding machine guns instead of bags.

What might be good evidence of events is no longer believable and, at the very least, needs substantial corroboration from reliable sources.

We know that the code of ethical journalism requires more than one source of information and all sources must be assessed thoroughly. These sources have the right to remain anonymous if they have reason, as often they do.

I have noticed a trend in some newspapers to directly report ( that is qoute) what other newspapers have reported. I don’t know what agreements or arrangements go on between them but it shows an eagerness to share headline news at the expense of a scoop. Such stories are in effect ‘third hand’ as we know that selective quotations can be misleading and curve the truth.

With the coming of a plethora of choice of news channel on television and radio, the task of the viewer is different. I mentioned to a friend recently that I sometimes watch the Russia Today television channel. He was aghast at the idea anyone of sound mind would do this. I tried to argue that I like to see news stories reported from different points of view.

It is more common for people to have political views of a particular shade and then seek sources the substantiate their opinions. Personally, my feeling is that if views are so fixed then there really is little reason to follow events in the world since the coloured lens through which the are observed will not reveal what is really happening.

Crucial to any rational appreciation of events is to understand facts and statistics. I enjoy the phrase ‘my version of the facts‘ since this is an aberration often prevalent in debate. Many interviews on the radio involve the presenter or interviewer using carefully sourced facts and the respondent basing their counter argument on disputing those facts.

BBC Radio 4 has an radio programme called ‘More or Less’ in which statisticians examine in detail how facts are obtained and what conclusions can be drawn from them – if at all. Frequently they pull the rug from under politicians who have used figures to prove a preconception. The expression ‘lies, damn lies and statistics’ comes to mind because figures are too frequently used to prove a lie.

Prevalent in the United States of America today is the accusation that news is ‘fake’. This is a valid criticism at one end of the spectrum between ‘true’ and ‘false’. Since we were not there and even if we had been we may not have had ring side seat, all reported news includes bias as already described. The question is really, how much bias is included or how true is this? Being ‘fake’ is not a reason to dismiss a view because there is rarely smoke without fire.

For this reason I am eclectic in my sources of information so that I can form a judgement of the ‘mean’ or most likely closeness to truth on the balance of probabilities.

This perhaps is the difference between King Solomon and the rule of a dictator.

A wise ruler will listen to all sides and form an opinion or judgement based on what most likely happened. A dictator cares little for any version of events other than those which support his or her own agenda.

Looking around the global governments today, many are clearly occupied by dictators whether they agree to this appellation or not. Some, even in traditional democracies, are veering towards being those who speak only what they want to hear.