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| Referendum day: rain, floods – but at least the shouting was over | Referendum day: rain, floods – but at least the shouting was over |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Torrential rain, flash floods; the weather had been as apocalyptic as many of the politician’s more outrageous predictions. Maybe the EU referendum really was the end of days. It was certainly the end of the campaign. With the polls opening at 7am, the shouting was over. At least until they closed at 10pm. | Torrential rain, flash floods; the weather had been as apocalyptic as many of the politician’s more outrageous predictions. Maybe the EU referendum really was the end of days. It was certainly the end of the campaign. With the polls opening at 7am, the shouting was over. At least until they closed at 10pm. |
| In between, there was only silence and the news bulletins had to come up with something other than Boris calling Dave a liar and George calling Michael a liar. It was most unnerving to have no Oxford on Oxford attacks. Whatever the result, England’s most self-regarding university was going to have a lot to answer for. | In between, there was only silence and the news bulletins had to come up with something other than Boris calling Dave a liar and George calling Michael a liar. It was most unnerving to have no Oxford on Oxford attacks. Whatever the result, England’s most self-regarding university was going to have a lot to answer for. |
| Related: EU referendum result: counting begins in poll to decide Britain's future – live | Related: EU referendum result: counting begins in poll to decide Britain's future – live |
| With little to do but pace around the house, tentatively reacquainting themselves with their families – Dave meet Sam, Sam meet Dave – the campaign leaders only ventured outdoors to cast their votes. Despite a late opinion poll suggesting remain had a narrow lead, the prime minister looked tense as he walked towards his polling station. A curt “Good morning” was the best he could manage for waiting photographers. | With little to do but pace around the house, tentatively reacquainting themselves with their families – Dave meet Sam, Sam meet Dave – the campaign leaders only ventured outdoors to cast their votes. Despite a late opinion poll suggesting remain had a narrow lead, the prime minister looked tense as he walked towards his polling station. A curt “Good morning” was the best he could manage for waiting photographers. |
| Jeremy Corbyn was more talkative. Some remain supporters would have preferred him to be this chatty during the campaign, rather than after it had ended. There was also the nagging suspicion among some of his apparatchiks that Jeremy might have used the secrecy of the ballot to mark his X in the leave box. | Jeremy Corbyn was more talkative. Some remain supporters would have preferred him to be this chatty during the campaign, rather than after it had ended. There was also the nagging suspicion among some of his apparatchiks that Jeremy might have used the secrecy of the ballot to mark his X in the leave box. |
| “The bookies usually get it right,” he said on leaving his Islington polling station, “but they got it wrong big time with me last year.” As with so much of the past few months, Corbyn seemed happiest when keeping his options open. | “The bookies usually get it right,” he said on leaving his Islington polling station, “but they got it wrong big time with me last year.” As with so much of the past few months, Corbyn seemed happiest when keeping his options open. |
| Loyalties were also tested in the Gove household. Mike strolled off to his west London polling station with his wife, Sarah Vine, in hot pursuit. Vine is believed to be a strong Remainer and it was her conviction that she could win round her husband, which had reassured Dave before the campaign kicked off that Mike would come out on his side. Relations between the two former friends have been decidedly tense in recent months after he jumped the other way. Perhaps the thought that the Gove votes had cancelled each other out might help patch things up in the coming weeks. Or perhaps not. | Loyalties were also tested in the Gove household. Mike strolled off to his west London polling station with his wife, Sarah Vine, in hot pursuit. Vine is believed to be a strong Remainer and it was her conviction that she could win round her husband, which had reassured Dave before the campaign kicked off that Mike would come out on his side. Relations between the two former friends have been decidedly tense in recent months after he jumped the other way. Perhaps the thought that the Gove votes had cancelled each other out might help patch things up in the coming weeks. Or perhaps not. |
| The one person we didn’t get to see vote was Theresa May. Then no one has seen or heard of her for months. The home secretary appears to gave taken a vow of silence and locked herself away in a convent for the duration. It’s no coincidence that many predict she will be the campaign’s biggest winner, whatever the outcome. | The one person we didn’t get to see vote was Theresa May. Then no one has seen or heard of her for months. The home secretary appears to gave taken a vow of silence and locked herself away in a convent for the duration. It’s no coincidence that many predict she will be the campaign’s biggest winner, whatever the outcome. |
| Yet while the bigger guns chose to keep a low profile until after the polls closed, Leave.EU, the Ukip wing of the Vote Leave campaign decided to party at the same venue in Westminster where Tony Blair had celebrated election victories in years past. Having had their June Birmingham rock concert, starring East 17 and most of Bucks Fizz, cancelled when some of the acts realised the gig was in aid of Brexit, Leave.EU were determined to go out in style. Win or lose, the EU will never be the same, the invitation promised, so let’s party with Kenny Thomas, Gwen Dickey, Still Drifting featuring Ray Lewis and Alexander O’Neal. Irresistible. | |
| Even on a muggy night, the 29th floor of Millbank Tower may offer some of the best views of London, but by 9.30pm there was precious little sign of the party that was meant to have started an hour earlier. The walls and tables were draped in union jacks and there was a large cake in the shape of a champagne bottle on its own plinth, but next to no one there. The media outnumbered the guests by about five to one. It had the feel of a street party for the Queen’s 90th birthday without either the Queen or the street. | Even on a muggy night, the 29th floor of Millbank Tower may offer some of the best views of London, but by 9.30pm there was precious little sign of the party that was meant to have started an hour earlier. The walls and tables were draped in union jacks and there was a large cake in the shape of a champagne bottle on its own plinth, but next to no one there. The media outnumbered the guests by about five to one. It had the feel of a street party for the Queen’s 90th birthday without either the Queen or the street. |
| Kenny Thomas’s scheduled time slot of 9.15pm had come and gone with absolutely no sign of Kenny. Gwen Dickey’s scheduled time slot of 9.35pm had come and gone with no sign of Gwen. It wasn’t looking promising for Still Drifting featuring Ray Lewis’s 9.55pm time slot. Though it was just possible that they had performed very quietly and no one had noticed. In which case, apologies. | |
| “Don’t worry,” said an organiser. “It will fill up.” Clearly the leave partygoers were either spending every last minute getting out their vote or they weren’t feeling much like a party. Or maybe they were just holding off another hour for the main attraction. At 11pm, Nigel Farage was due to greet his inner circle and address the nation. Not even he would know if it was last hurrah or his greatest triumph. | “Don’t worry,” said an organiser. “It will fill up.” Clearly the leave partygoers were either spending every last minute getting out their vote or they weren’t feeling much like a party. Or maybe they were just holding off another hour for the main attraction. At 11pm, Nigel Farage was due to greet his inner circle and address the nation. Not even he would know if it was last hurrah or his greatest triumph. |