Tomorrow, the UK goes to the polls to decide whether or not we will remain part of the European Union.  I really hope we stay in, but whatever happens, we will always be a part of Europe, whether or not we belong to the EU.  There will be difficulties to overcome either way, but I read this article by Clive James this morning, and it conveys so beautifully why I so strongly want to stay.  Clive James is, of course, Australian, but has spent most of his adult life in Europe, and this essay is a glorious study of what it means to be a part of European culture and enriched by it, and it’s the cultural ties that make me want to stay more than any other issues.  It takes a lot of work to make a union successful, but some unions are worth working for.  This article is just beautiful – and engaging and witty in a way that only the great Clive James can be.  The reason I am not a writer is that I can’t write like this, and it doesn’t seem worth doing anything less.

So do read it – click on the photo below. Regardless of the referendum, it’s a brilliant study of European culture and what it means both to be a part of it and to be inspired and influenced by it.  Amidst all the posturing and painfully superficial internet memes, this piece shines like the sun.