A plague on both their houses

I have given up on the European debate.

Or at least I had given up until yesterday when Martin Kettle cheered me up in the Guardian. I found I could disagree with him only on Jeremy Corbyn. Jeremy is in grave danger of making me thnk that politics might work. I like him a lot.

But read what Martin Kettle had to say about our politicians and be prepared to polish up your nodding skills.

He might have added (why didn't he talk to me before writing ? Hah !) that it is our mad adversarial 'system' of political debate which has led to a campaign of obfuscation, mud-slinging, ad hominem attacks, and far more heat than light.

At the end of this shabby, squalid, unworthy debate will the politicians review and regret the way they ran it ? The way they shafted the electorate ? Again ? Not a bit of it. The winning side will crow and assert that it was their arguments which prevailed with the Bristish people. That's pretty sad, I think.

I also wonder what out European friends think of this strident tirade of insults. It is almost like rowing about someone while they are still in the room, as if they cannot hear.

Sigh.

Reforming Europe ? I had rather hoped that Europe might reform us. 

It'll be a big job: our politicians are clearly in need of a lot of work.