So when does the campaign start Dave?

I don't know about you - and I follow this quite closely - but I'm not sure when the starting gun will be fired for the upcoming EU referendum. Has it already sounded? Did I miss it?

It seems to me that Dave is avoiding the issue of when the thing starts. He has consistently avoided telling us (who employ him after all) what his 'red lines' on renegotiations with the EU are - i.e. what reforms he really wants to achieve and what, therefore, his success or failure might be judged upon.

When are these negotiations taking place? Are they already happening? Has his schmoozathon of recent weeks been 'it'? What has been the outcome? What did they (the EU) agree to? What did they reject? Or haven't we started yet?

Are we to be told or are we to go into a vote without any idea of what is at stake? And do Dave's 'red lines' match what we want and need - which is essentially an ability to control our own destiny as a nation instead of being governed by people we don't elect and therefore cannot vote out if they do not do what we want them to do?

The thing that really exasperates me is that Dave has made electoral capital out of the fact that he is offering a referendum. 'We're the only people offering a referendum'; 'if you want a referendum, you must vote Tory'.

But the thing is that most people who 'want a referendum' take that view because they want us to get out of the EU. Most people who want the UK to stay in - and that 'group' undoubtedly includes Mr Cameron - don't want a referendum. So we have been presented with the disingenuous argument that you should vote for Dave if you want out (via a referendum) even though he does not support your view. That stinks to high heaven in my opinion. He's garnering your vote in order to maintain his position as Prime Minister on the promise of a referendum, when he has absolutely no intention of allowing that referendum to return any result other than our staying in.

And yes you may say that he does not control the result, but that is a naive stance to take in my opinion. He knows that a combination of apathy ('things aren't so bad so let's not rock the boat') coupled with a positive 'vote in' campaign by the Government, backed by the EU itself and the EU-sponsored BBC will be an almost unstoppable force in the coming vote.

So saying 'vote for me' because then you'll get a referendum (but then you'll lose) is a fucking diabolical and underhand sham on Dave's behalf. He's simply not interested in holding a free and fair referendum that allows the people of this country to have a fair judgement on the issues at hand. After 40 years of the EU taking us for granted, taking our £28million a day contribution but ignoring our views and concerns and then potentially fixing the outcome of a referendum via the support that I have already outlined. It is now high time that we had a proper vote based on the facts not based on bribery and vested interests and the use of the machinery of government and propaganda to influence the outcome.

I don't think we'll get many facts to play with in this referendum. Because I sincerely do not think that any of the real 'facts' are in favour of our staying in. The Tory woman on Questiontime last week (whose name escapes me sorry) when challenged to identify the benefits we accrue from being in the EU came up with clean beaches and cheaper mobile phone roaming charges. And couldn't think of anything else. Because, there is nothing else - or very little. And we're paying £28 million a day for this?

If we get to the facts the 'out' vote will win. And will save the day not just for the UK but for everywhere in Europe that is not Germany. Once again we stand almost alone in having the ability to do what's right for Europe. To save it from being under the uncompromising yoke of Germany. And being changed forever in a negative way.

The 'yes' vote (for independence) in Scotland fell short, but the subsequent events in Scotland with the amazing rise of the SNP suggest that if the vote were to be re-held today, the overwhelming majority would vote for independence. I advocated just that vote during the campaign by the way.

I think we have a chance in the UK. I think that there is real hope that we will wake up and realise that we will be much better off if we control our own destiny. We need a leader to emerge. Farage has a part to play but not as the leader of the campaign for out.

Above all we need to know when the arguments are set and when we can start to get the campaign really under way. Count me in when that happens.

Thanks for reading.