The In campaign needs to stop with the negative and patronising arguments about ‘uncertainty’ and show the EU some love.

There’s nothing quite like a referendum. Even people who are so convinced they are right sometimes have to take another look at the issue when they have the responsibility of a vote in their hands. It’s a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. No dithering, no option of ‘maybe if we get this, this and this’ etc.

In the context of the EU referendum, this should help the In campaign. They have the key advantage that we KNOW what we are getting if we stay in. And if the Scottish referendum and the general election show one thing, it’s that the electorate hardly ever think the grass is greener on the other side.

But from what I’ve seen so far, that’s about all the In campaign has going for it. There has been absolutely nothing likeable about the campaign, the people involved or the patronising and negative statements it has made.

What on earth they were thinking opting for Marks & Spencer CEO Lord Rose to head the campaign is anyone’s guess. One of David Cameron’s closest confidants, they couldn’t have picked more of an establishment figure if they had tried. As the referendum draws closer, arguments will get more and more passionate on both sides, and this is a man who comes across as having none.

Ironically, he previously seemed to complain about every EU regulation going, but now he’s committed to staying in, even if David Cameron’s renegotiation changes absolutely none of the things he found so unbearable before. Unfortunately this seems to be the culture from many business leaders today when it comes to politics. They are conservative with a small ‘c’, boring everyone with the same old warnings of ‘uncertainty’.

However, you would hope Lord Rose at least has some idea what he’s talking about. Unlike some chap on the Daily Politics the other day who was trying to say that we would need a visa to go on holiday to Spain. That’s an argument you would expect from a seven year old in a junior school mock debate, rather than an adult who is trying to make a serious point on the future of the country. Not to mention that it is completely false.

And now David Cameron is getting in on the act by suggesting that refugee camps will move from Calais to Kent if we leave the EU. Err David, you haven’t even officially picked a side yet and already you are giving the French ideas of how to make our lives miserable if we leave?

Is it too much to ask for somebody to tell us something we might actually like about the EU?

As I mentioned before, behind the scenes the In campaigners would probably argue that scaremongering worked well in both the general election and the Scottish independence vote.

But the reality is Scotland only just teetered back from the brink. All the scaremongering about whether Scotland could keep the pound or remain in the EU rang hollow for a long time. The SNP very nearly snatched independence by railing against the negativity of the anti-independence campaign, and it was only when that campaign was able to find something positive to say and tap into the deep held emotional connection Scotland has with the UK that Unionist voters came out in droves to secure victory.

There is no such affection in Britain for the EU, even if there is for Europe (they aren’t the same thing no matter how much we are told they are), so the In campaign should be working overtime to try to build a positive case for staying in the union. Because one day people might just wake up and decide to step into the unknown, or ‘take the red pill’, as Morpheus would say.

So far the Out campaign has been unable to capitalise on the ridiculous incompetence of the In campaign, mainly because the various Out groups seem to dislike each other more than the EU itself (and strangely enough that doesn’t even appear to be UKIP’s fault!).

The In campaign is still very much the favourite to win the referendum, but if they don’t get their act together soon, there could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for somebody to rise to the very top of UK politics by leading the Out campaign to victory. It could be Boris Johnson, but equally likely it could be someone you would never expect.

And if you don’t believe that, just look at Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in America.