The 12 best images so far from the EU referendum debate (TWEETS)

For some in Britain, the EU referendum is a matter of life and death, wealth and destruction, humanity and barbarism. For others, it couldn’t be over soon enough, numbing our collective brains with endless economic exaggerations, baseless fearmongering, and talk of impending doom. But what has the colourful world of memes had to say about the debate?

The friends and foes of the ‘Leave’ campaign

Memes related to ‘Brexit’ are perhaps the greatest in number.

Some supporters of the ‘Leave’ campaign seem to believe England would have a greater chance of winning the World Cup if it left the EU:

https://twitter.com/REPORTER_47/status/736311734076575744

The following meme gets an extra special mention because, shockingly, it appears not to be a joke:

https://twitter.com/See_The_Seer/status/739643353680248832

And apparently, embracing our “inner Boris” would be a good thing:

EMBRACE YOUR INNER BORIS ! #VoteLeave #LeaveEU #leave #EUref #StrongerIn #Remain #Brexit #Nexit #Grexit #Frexit #EU pic.twitter.com/F0aSe1PIjz

— Heroes ECO Supplements (@The_Fogeys) May 26, 2016

But there has also been a lot of criticism of the ‘Leave’ campaign, with some reminding us exactly who is leading and supporting the campaign:

In or Out. IDS, Gove and Johnson have argued for years the NHS should be privatised: #EURefReady pic.twitter.com/klFAh0cZGP

— Tom Pride (@ThomasPride) June 6, 2016

https://twitter.com/UKIPNFKN/status/739484050398842881

At the same time, we’ve seen a lot of talk about the uncertainty surrounding what will happen if Britain leaves the EU:

I'm #EURefReady because every little helps, and the idea of leaving is terrifying… pic.twitter.com/SQ2auroTUz

— Starjynx ✨ (@roxandsocks) June 6, 2016

Some people have been impressed by the compelling nature of the campaign, though:

I was undecided until I saw this stirring display in Poole High street. pic.twitter.com/kDE2fcBo1M

— Oneiro James (@oneirojames) June 4, 2016

And, of course, what would a serious political debate be without a bit of beaver-related vandalism?

Please help support @AubelFelix's campaign. #VoteBeaver pic.twitter.com/NXjE0JwakF

— Heð Gwynfor (@heddgwynfor) June 2, 2016

How about the ‘Remain’ camp?

Well there’s been very little enthusiasm here, and mostly quite serious memes like this one:

Dear #Brexit people;
Priti Patel, IDS, Boris, Gove & co. Are lying to you about EU myths.#StrongerIn pic.twitter.com/yC3hxSQmep

— John Clarke (@JohnClarke1960) May 26, 2016

But there has been criticism of George Osborne and others in the ‘Remain’ camp for scaremongering about possible economic scenarios in the future:

Osborne & Cameron, desperate to keep their jobs, LIE & LIE. #Brexit bad for the economy? No. https://t.co/fipXqSaBkg pic.twitter.com/FB0kvKnPHV

— Edward Anthony Rayne (@EdwardRayne) May 28, 2016

Other ‘Remain’ leaders haven’t exactly been popular, either:

Would you buy a car from these people ?#EURef #VoteLeave #Brexit #remain #INorOUT #Labour #VoteOUT #Cameron pic.twitter.com/2CVrLTQ9jp

— TheOrdinaryMan (@theordinaryman2) June 6, 2016

In fact, some are engaging in some wishful thinking based on the possibility of David Cameron leaving Downing Street in the event of ‘Brexit’:

David Cameron is #EURefReady pic.twitter.com/x3VKxOt7Uo

— Ⓑig Ⓑang Ⓒoming (@BBCPropaganda) June 6, 2016

What all of these images show is that, overall, the EU debate online has so far consisted of personality-based arguments, a fair bit of piss taking and, quite frankly, some very worrying uses of Photoshop.

Here’s looking forward to more of this in the coming days…

Find out what’s really going on:

– Research views for and against Brexit.

– Read about Diem25, which is trying to bring about real democratic change within the EU.

– Full Fact is fact-checking the EU referendum here.

Featured image via Dave Kellam/Wikimedia Commons.