23 May GUITAR legend Wilko Johnson to vote for first time
GUITAR legend Wilko Johnson has revealed he will break the habit of a lifetime by voting for the very first time at next month’s EU referendum.
The Canvey musician, best known as a member of iconic Seventies pub rockers Dr Feelgood, has criticised the “Little England” mindset of Brexit supporters.
But his outlook may be out of line with many in the area, with recent surveys showing south Essex to be among the most Eurosceptic areas in the country.
Wilko, 68, spoke to BBC radio’s The World Tonight as the programme visited Southend as part of a series on areas whose twin towns would be affected by Brexit.
Sopot, in Poland, has been Southend’s twin town since 1999.
The musician said: “I am going to vote for the first time in my life on this European thing.
“I’m a bit of an anarchist you know, I’ve never voted before but I’m going to vote on this.
“We should understand we’re Europeans and I think we should have a common currency. We should feel ourselves to be part of Europe, not some ludicrous Little England dream.
“People are still dreaming of the Empire and it’s ludicrous.”
Wilko’s views do not appear to be commonplace in south Essex, however, with an Echo reader poll last month showing overwhelming support for leaving the EU.
A landslide 81 per cent of over 8,000 readers who took part in the Echo’s online poll said they will vote for Britain to leave the union, while 82 per cent claimed membership to the union has not benefitted Essex.
It followed a YouGov poll in February which revealed Southend was the sixth most Eurosceptic area in the country.
Six of south Essex’s seven Tory MPs, meanwhile, revealed in Friday’s Echo that they plan to vote for Brexit.
Jackie Doyle-Price, MP for Thurrock, is the only politician who remains undecided.
The EU referendum takes place on Thursday, June 23.
