October 31st .....

Looking up at the night sky above Exmoor National Park, the array of stars filling the bowl-shaped expanse appear so close, it's as if you can reach out and touch them. On a clear night you can see up to 3,000 stars with the naked eye in the darkness above the landscape famed for its woodland, wildlife and ancient churches - stunning countryside straddling the counties of Devon and Somerset - in stark contrast to the polluted universe compressed above the overpopulated environs of Heathrow and the M25.

Exmoor National Park was accredited as Europe’s first International Dark Sky Reserve in 2011, in recognition of its low levels of light pollution - although as I stepped outside of our remote and unique pub last night the heavens were shrouded in a dull grey blanket of ‘Brexit Cloud’.

We had planned October 31^st to be Brexit Party Night at the Polti…a pub with no electricity, no mains water and only limited sewerage - no phone line and no wifi, a remote sanctuary managed so effectively by Steve and his cat named ‘Fred Hitler’, their role no more than to protect so many of us from the ineptitude of the Westminster political class. But following the pathetic attempts by our parliament to act in anyway like a mature democracy we were left with a night that simply drifted into a half-hearted Halloween fest, accompanied by the stale after taste of ‘no ifs, no buts’.

In September 1946, and not long after my dad returned from ‘night fighter’ duties along the east coast of Scotland, Winston Churchill, in a speech delivered in Zurich, spoke of the need to form a ‘European Family’ or a ‘United States of Europe’, to ensure peace and prosperity. Something that probably held no resonance on the East Bank, as our supporters came to terms with the great Tommy Lawton returning to Everton after his wartime service ended (66 goals in 43 appearances).

And then just as our country started to recover from the war, a select group of those that we freed, plus the odd ‘bad boy’, established the first formal move towards the European Union (EU) - ‘The Schuman Declaration’ on 9^th May 1950 was an agreement between France, Germany, Italy and Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), to share control of coal and steel. At the time I guess nobody could see the storm clouds forming across the channel, as I’m pretty sure the Recreation Ground faithful were simply relieved that the Shots managed to secure three wins and a draw from their last four games to avoid the embarrassment of seeking re-election at the end of the season.

Shortly after my brother was born, six countries signed the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) on 18^th April 1951 – mind you it hadn’t been a great year for the Shots (no doubt the 7v1 defeat at Elm Park will still feel raw for the very oldest of our fan base).

By 1957, and just as the Treaty of Rome was signed by the original six’, establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) I was just old enough to kick a football about with my Grandad. 

Despite the hours of fun we had together he really didn’t talk much about his First World War experiences or the loss of his brother in a flying accident as the war came to a close.  And sadly our family research was completed without the personal feelings that were sequestered deep in the mind of Grandad. But one thing I do know is that he was a founder member of Frimley Green FC… and he was the top goal scorer as the fledgling club were crowned champions of the Ascot League Division 2 in 1919/20. 

As the country moved towards the ‘swinging sixties’, leaving the infrastructure debris from the war far behind, thoughts turned to the worldwide instability delivered through the heightening of tensions created by the ‘Cold War’. But the Soviet Bloc was certainly nowhere in my consciousness when I made my first trip to the Recreation Ground on October 15th 1960.

I remember getting to Aldershot quite early. The streets around the ground were full with supporters. Most of them were wearing blue and white hats with scarves wrapped tightly around their necks (‘Posh’ fans). The crowd was about 12500. I held on to my Dad’s coat not wanting to get separated from him in this big and new world.

Peterborough United, in their first League season brought about 6000 fans to the game and they were clearly not going to just watch the game and say no more than, ‘good shot, well done’. No, the noise was deafening as we queued up at the historic turnstiles.

Steam trains rumbled over the bridge, just behind the ground, covering the High Street in a blanket of sulphurous smoke. The carriages packed with even more supporters on their way to the game.

We entered the stadium, I let go of Dad’s coat and ran up the steps leading through the gardens to the ground. And there it was. The majestic form of the South Stand, and in the distance the East Bank, full of visiting and home fans, bursting with colour. Then away to my left, the calm and serenity of the North Bank.

I stood with Dad behind the goal at the High Street End, gripping the fencing and shaking with the excitement of the occasion. 

‘Nikita Khrushchev’….’who are you’, we cried out in my alcohol fuelled reminiscence!

And just a few months later the Shots reached round four of the FA Cup, losing out to Stoke City in a second replay at Wolverhampton.  The back page headlines taking the eye away from President Charles de Gaulle vetoing Britain’s application to become a member of the EEC.

I was too young in 1969 to construct the view that it was iniquitous for the saviour of France, in 1944, to be shut out from the  ‘new European world’…but with my mature hindsight President de Gaulle’s action to veto a second application from Britain was certainly a portent of the gathering ‘storm clouds’ above the channel. Having said that, we didn’t care at the time….round four in the Cup and a massive home crowd of 19,138 to watch the replay with Carlisle United; topped off with a sixth place finish in the league and 52 goals scored at home.

For me, 1973 brought with it a serious bout of glandular fever, keeping me away from playing football on Saturday’s and midweek , fortuitous, I guess,  as Aldershot achieved the impossible – promotion out of Division 4 - and I didn’t miss any of the games in the fantastic run-in to the end of the season, culminating in the wonderful party night at Stockport.

It was certainly an exciting time, and as a student in London my mind was on all matters other than the fact that Denmark, Ireland and Britain joined the EEC. 

Leaving the student world and London far behind, my life moved to East Anglia and perhaps a first taste of European opportunities. Up until the Referendum held on 5^th June  1975, I had never been asked for an opinion on anything – but now I was being asked, 'stay in or get out’. Gosh, such a simple binary question. Facts…who knows…prejudice…a plenty…nationalism…perhaps…political integration…surely not…federal state…never.

In the referendum on continued membership of the EEC, the electorate voted ‘Yes’ by 67.2% to 32.8% to stay in Europe.

And me…well I voted ‘stay in’. After all I had French student teachers staying in my house – friends to this day. Didier became the head teacher of a special needs school in the south of France, and in August of the Referendum year I was his best man, staying just outside of Nimes with another friend, Martine, who went on to be the Chief Executive of  an important Business School in the Rhone Valley. Life was so simple then…sun, sea, wine, friendship. And the world was simply one big opportunity.

The European Monetary System (EMS) was created in 1979. It used an Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) to create stable exchange rates. 

But Britain was the only EEC Member State not to join the ERM, no doubt securing little  interest from the South Stand faithful as the Shots got to the 5^th Round of the FA Cup  and featured in the draw for the quarter finals….so close…so very close  - I can still hear my dad shouting, ‘into the stand Crosby…clear the ball into the stand’. He didn’t and a  puddle did the rest, Shrewsbury Town swooped and that was it.

And did we care when the Single European Act amended the Treaty of Rome. Its aim was to create a single internal market. No, of course not. Promotion on May 25^th 1987, as a result of beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first ever play-off final, was always going to deliver a bigger headline in the Aldershot News than the establishment of a ‘single market’.

As we entered the 90s our shared fortunes certainly took a drastic turn for the worst. Britain joined the ERM in October 1990, but after massive sales of the pound on foreign stock exchanges, Britain was forced to leave the ERM on September 16^th 1992 - ‘Black Wednesday’.  

Not forgetting that Aldershot were wound up in the High Court in March 1992,  having played their last competitive fixture at Cardiff on the 20^th of that month. 

But as Aldershot fought back, our ‘friends’ across the channel were investing our money in their corporate machine….

The Maastricht Treaty, an amendment of the 1957 Treaty of Rome, established a timeline for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The UK secured an opt-out from the EMU.

The Single Market was established, paving the way for the free movement of goods, capital, services and people.

The Treaty of Amsterdam incorporated the Schengen provisions on the abolition of internal border controls and a common visa policy into the EU Treaties, with opt-outs for the UK and Ireland.

In 2002 twelve European states adopted the Euro as legal tender on 1 January and began to phase out their national currencies. Britain, Sweden and Denmark did not join the single currency.

In February 2003 the Treaty of Nice came into force. The main purpose of the Treaty was to facilitate a significant major EU enlargement. Leading to ten countries joining the EU in 2004: Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Malta and Cyprus. – followed by the economic giants of Rumania and Bulgaria in 2007. 

More integration followed …leading to more countries wanting to join the club. 

And then Dave had a great idea…while body boarding in Cornwall, Prime Minister Cameron hatched his plan to resolve the European question once and for all…’no ifs, no buts’.

The result of the 2016 Referendum has done no more than to successfully cast Cameron off to write his memoires and confirm that Theresa May was probably ok at administration but clearly she never had the armoury to unwrap almost 50 years of Euro Jungle – it  needed a flame thrower and not the robotic delivery of ‘strong and stable leadership’.

And of course we didn't know what we were voting for in 2016....or did we?

So after that quick whistle-stop tour of the EU we move on to our game with Maidenhead on Saturday. And the opportunity to repeat the feats of Tommy Lawton, Jack Howarth and John Dungworth…yes, what an idealistic thought – loads of goals.

No doubt the MP for Maidenhead, elected in 1997, will be at the game. I’ll be in the Golden Lion, Theresa, if you fancy a pint before you take up your seat in the North Stand.