That’s what the outcome of this referendum campaign is beginning to look like.

In the last week or so there has been a series of increasingly hysterical claims being made by both sides on this (for want of a better word) “debate”. It’s most certainly not a patch on the more gentlemanly discussions in 1975, but there was more deference towards politicians then and more willingness to follow the establishment – which Wilson had got sewn up.

I’m not convinced about any of the extreme claims being made, whether they are Bremain’s claptrap about losing paid holidays and the onset of World War III or Brexit’s bollocks about rising wages or that the process of leaving will be easy.

What does disturb and disappoint me, though, is the tone in which much of this is carried out.

A friend recently shared a post on Facebook from a person in Norway. It was another of those lists of dire predictions – you know the stuff – if Britain leaves the EU the economy will shrink by 500%, we’ll have to bring back the Corn Laws, Scotland will vote to be towed out into the Iceland/Faroes gap and the Four Horsemen will escort Boris Johnson up Downing Street.

Fine! Chuck it on the heap with all the other predictions of Armageddon.

No – what upset me about this one was that it was prefaced thusly:

“British friends: if you know anyone who is considering voting for Brexit (and I sincerely hope you don’t), please point out to them that blah, blah blah…”

Are we no longer allowed to be friends with people who hold different political views? Have we sunk so low in our regard for each other that we must discard people because they disagree with us on how our country should be run?

If that is what politics is now to involve then I leave, I resign, I want no part of it.