SO, the battle to keep our country free, democratic and sovereign is under way at last. The two camps are about as far apart as anyone can be and I don't see a harmonious campaign ahead. Why not? Because the issue, our country, is just too big and too serious. I sense a mood of surrender on the europhile's side of the argument, which I have kept an open mind to, but fail to agree with. And to bolster their case, they spread dire warnings of doom and gloom, hardly a message of optimism, aspiration or hope. Maybe, just maybe, the UK has become too slothful over the years, reliant on others to negotiate our trade deals, or being told that because of one EU law or another we are unable to seek our own prosperity and wealth. The lion has been diminished and cowed. And now that the Prime Minister has concluded his negotiations, we are led to believe we have special status within the EU. The fact is, we do not, and never will if we remain in the EU, whose founding principle is all for one and one for all. If we stay in, the other 27 nations will not put up with an annoying gnat like the UK for long and we will be swatted like one does a fly. The all-superior European courts will see to that, whatever Mr Cameron's protestations. His ploy is quite clearly to play on our fears, all unfounded, and I for one am sorry that this is his tactic. As I said in a recent letter to the Daily Telegraph, there is nothing to fear in leaving the EU, except fear itself. Michael Gove has articulated the case for leaving in his normal, cyrstal-clear way in today's papers and I agree with his every word. I know the decision to leave has been a difficult one for him, but he has taken the courageous option and has put country before career. His integrity is to be admired. As I have said, I shall be campaigning to leave the EU and can only urge you all to do likewise. The referendum in June gives you the opportunity at last to stand up for our country and to say enough is enough. The EU will collapse, whether we remain in or leave, of that there is no doubt. It is rotten to the core, the only beneficiary being Germany, who prospers on the backs of the weaker economies, like Italy and Greece. The appalling consequences are there for all to see. Our departure will speed up the process, as other countries watch us move onwards and upwards, free at last from a communist-style straightjacket, where countries' and individuals' hopes and aspirations are increasingly being stifled by a political and bureaucratic elite, who are so out of touch with the man and woman on the street it beggars belief. Outside the EU, we can still trade with Europe, fight terrorism with Europe and challenge Cold War warriors like Putin with Europe, but our destiny will be ours and ours alone, with our rulers being chosen by you and, most importantly, answerable to you. This is a chance in a lifetime to "get our country back" and we must grab it with both hands. What deeply saddens me is the fact we are having to fight for such a basic right at all. Finally, when all the main political Parties agree on something, you can guarantee that something is fundamentally wrong.