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8 year oldToday, Brits, Irish and eligible Commonwealth citizens will head to polling booths around the country to answer the question: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
But while the actual question is simple, the situation is anything but.
The choice is being billed as the most important in a generation that could affect everything from supermarket bills to global security.
But look deeper and it’s apparent what began as a political question has lifted the lid on a vicious and seething cauldron of dissatisfaction. Whether it’s directed at political elites, immigrants or European bureaucrats telling them how straight bananas should be — people have had enough.
Every single #EUref argument https://t.co/6gkaV3AYbg
— HannahJane ParkINson (@ladyhaja) June 22, 2016
More postcards from French people asking us to #remain #operationcroissant pic.twitter.com/BYC5DnsIwb
— Rhiannon L Cosslett (@rhiannonlucyc) June 22, 2016
It’s part of a huge wave of populist politics sweeping Europe, the US and UK that has fuelled the rise of the anti-politician like Trump, Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn. It’s why gaffe-machine Boris Johnson has taken the Leave vote to within a whisker of the Remain campaign backed by global heavyweights like Obama and Merkel.Up yours Frenchy #operationcroissant pic.twitter.com/scMvxkr0ux
— Skip Licker (@SkipLicker) June 22, 2016
It’s a feeling echoed up and down the country by voters who say friendship groups and families have been divided over the choice that cuts through typical indicators like age, wealth and party lines.
Following an early lead, the Remain camp edged ahead following the shocking andtragic death of Labour MP Jo Cox which stopped both sides cold and halted momentum for the Leave campaign.
However the outcome is still up in the air with undecided voters and turnout poised to make a difference. A Leave win on Friday could see UK Prime Minister David Cameron face calls to resign, or a leadership challenge to secure his stature, reports BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
“The alchemy and atmosphere on Friday morning and how the prime minister handles the immediate aftermath will matter,” Kuenssberg reports.
“Like in the Scottish referendum, campaigns that are not just about policies or personalities but about identity can unleash feelings that can’t be put back in the bottle.”
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