Nick Robinson: is the country ready for Hexit?

The nation is deeply divided. We can, it seems, talk of almost nothing else. Passions could scarcely be higher. No court or parliament can block or postpone it. Hexit is happening. That’s right. Hexit. Humphrys is leaving the Today programme after 30 years. On learning the news, one of more than seven million loyal listeners revealed his outrage and sense of loss, tweeting: ‘Who will I shout at on the radio in future?!’ My friend and companion in the Today studio Justin Webb replied with his characteristic charm. ‘Oh, that’s simple. Nick Robinson.’ I have been warned.

John is famously irascible. His on-air harrumphing has often been preceded by off-air howls of outrage about interview briefs which he deems to be sloppy (‘It’s NOT Lord Michael Howard. It’s just Lord Howard’), unclear (‘What on earth does any of that mean?!’) or over long (‘How can you give me a nine- page brief for a four-minute item?’). On joining the programme I soon learned to escape to the canteen for coffee, porridge and the space to think. I came to understand that what lies behind all the sound and fury is a simple fact. John cares passionately about the programme. Whether he’s talking to a politician, a priest or a painter, he approaches it with the same energy, curiosity and challenge. He never sounds weary, jaundiced or bored. If they’re still saying that about me in 2046 — when I’m due to complete my three decades on Today — I’ll be delighted.

Shouting is, I fear, what our democracy is in danger of being reduced to. Politicians are fighting for attention and are desperate to have what they say shared or liked online. Social media transforms our national conversation into a three-letter word — OMG, LOL or WTF.