Book World Says Politicians' EU Debate 'Dreary'

The EU referendum debate has been dominated by "dreary" and repetitive arguments by politicians, key figures in the literary world have said, as the Hay book festival gears up to take on the discussion over Britain's membership of the EU.

As the annual gathering of the literary world gets under way in the Welsh borders, its founder Peter Florence said it was time writers, thinkers and academics played a more prominent role in the in-out debate.

He said: "People deserve something other than the dreary, tired old arguments that we're all tired of.

"There's only so many times Boris can say one thing and a bunch of international people say another thing.

"Let's hear something fresh, more interesting and if people want to hear, great.

"Instead of normal political and journalistic commentators, we've tried to get historians, economists, science into those debates."

One prominent novelist said that, left in the hands of politicians, the discussion had become unbearable.

Barbara Erskine, author of books about history and the supernatural, said: "I think the politicians have lost the plot... they're achieving the opposite of what they wanted. Talk some sense!

"My heart says 'out'... the sovereignty and all the historic reasons to be out. My head says 'in', so I'm completely undecided. So each argument I hear, I think they've got a point. It's so confusing."

Politicians are not about to miss out on the chance to address an audience of book lovers however.

Leave campaigner and conservative MP Dr Liam Fox, who will speak at Hay this week, said: "I think you get a whole range of people [at Hay] who might not be taking part in normal political discourse and to be talking with people who might not normally get contact with the sort of politicians who will be in the debate."

The Hay Festival is not the first time the creative industries have spoken out about the EU.

Earlier this month, actors, directors, comedians and artists - including Keira Knightly, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Cumberbatch published an open letter in favour of remaining in the EU.

But, as voting draws closer, talks featuring politicians like Mr Fox and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be watched by a wider audience.

"The public have a great appetite to know better stuff than they're being told, so let's try to find it," said Mr Florence.