Due to a forthcoming Anglo-French family wedding, I have a houseful of French visitors today and over the weekend.
Hearing how they view Britain's future is likely to be once out of the EU is quite alarming. One thing they identify immediately is that Europe will have no need of the London financial district and they fully expect it to become Germany's gain with Frankfurt being the likely base.
They cannot imagine any possibility of a similar event in France or Germany and they are of the belief that, secretly, most EU leaders will be pleased to see the back of Britain so that they can get on with the job of consolidating the EU as the major world trading block.
Notably, they question what Britain has that can be exported so profitably that we will be able to sustain ourselves. Given that they suggest that many EU leaders are fed up up with Britain's constant criticisms and reluctance to agree to major planks of EU-wide policy, they cannot understand who will want to buy from Britain rather than elsewhere on price or any other basis.
The drivel that some in our media and our amateur-talented but professionally-paid politicians have disseminated about Marine Le Pen in France or Lutz Bachmann in Germany being ready to 'do a Farage' like Britain, is seen for what many here suspect; a right-wing propaganda stunt with no substantial backing from either population.
I sometimes wonder if any of these 'Brexit' supporters, a dwindling bunch of misfits if I'm not mistaken, have ever actually been to other European countries, at least further than a beach or pub. Have they ever had discussions with other nationalities; ever wondered how Germany has become so powerful in the last half-century, ditto France and to some extent, Spain and Italy? Do these champions of the anti-EU movement really believe all our ails in Britain are the fault of the EU and that everything will be hunky-dory once we divorce ourselves from decisions foisted upon we British by these 'unelected people in Europe'?
I'm bound to say, an awful lot of British people need to take a step back and examine all their prejudices before pontificating about how great this country will be just by exiting the EU. They seem to be living out some kind of Dinsneyesque fantasy and are determined to drag down all the decent people with morals and a humanitarian nature with them into the abyss which will be the reality rather than any happy ending with a gallant prince.
Given that London, N Ireland and Scotland don't want to leave the EU, what is it that these 'Brexit' people know that the rest don't? They have had a long time to come up with some joined-up answers to the questions that everybody would like answered but as yet, not a single shred of intelligent thought has emerged from anyone in the 'Brexit' camp.
How much worse do things need to get in the UK before these people realise that they got it wrong and admit that the future doesn't after all look very rosy? Will it be when everything we import becomes 20% dearer, 50%? Will Sugar, Dyson, Branson or any of the TV dragons step in and save the nation? I doubt it but I can imagine austerity becoming more severe and currency devaluation becoming a distinct possibility. For older people, pensions may need to be cut to avoid the multi-national businesses having to pay more tax and become less competitive.
Tell me it's just a bad dream and I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be all right.
Tom