With just seven days left before the EU referendum actually takes place, final arguments, claims and counter-claims are being made.

The debate so far has been ruled by project fear and project menace.

Project fear comes from the ‘yes’ campaign who wish to remain. They have painted a bleak picture of life outside the EU, filled with economic woes.

Project menace is the argument of the Brexit supporters. they predict we will be swamped by immigrants and held hostage to rules made by an organisation we can’t hold to account.

Bill Martin is an ex-EU commissioner and says Cumbria will be much worse off if we leave.

He points to EU investment in our farming through subsidies and says without EU funding, we would not have had the broadband roll out across the county that we have seen in recent years.

His verdict on the debate so far is that it has been “sad and aggressive” and has “played with people’s emotions” rather than offering facts.

But he predicts that a leave vote would “Do very bad things to Cumbria.”

He explains: “We won’t have regional funds. All the policies helping the Cumbrian economy will not be available.

“Does Cumbria have any clout in Westminster if we do leave? If Cumbria has to fight its case in a brave new world, who is going to do it?

“We have not got a Willie Whitelaw any longer. We need big people to get Cumbria’s point across, I don’t care which party they come from.”

Mr Martin, who lives in Wetheral, near Carlisle was head of information for the single market.

He denies there is a lack of accountability, explaining that EU commissioners are appointed by their governments and any suggestions from the commissioners have to be approved by MEPs.

He adds: “I’m astonished how little people really know about the EU. We don’t have enough political or civic education.

“We are discussing in clichés. There is a statement and a rebuttal. It plays with people’s emotions.”

Leave campaigners have set out a “roadmap” for what the UK should do if it votes to leave the EU.

Paul Nuttall admits that those campaigning to leave can’t predict what measures will be introduced if there is a ‘no’ vote.

He’s one of our North West MEPs and deputy leader of UKIP and he forecasts a change in government, saying: “If we vote to leave, the Cabinet will be gone in 14 days.

“And even if you don’t like Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, you can get rid of them in 2020.

“At the moment, you have EU commissioners making rules for us and no-one voted for them.

“How many people can name our commissioner? Or their MEP?

“The two MEPs they know are Nigel Farage and to a lesser extent, myself.

He says he has experienced a switch in support: “People are coming up and saying ‘I was a remainer, now I want to leave.’

“People are looking into the issues and switching to our side.

“There has been so much project fear that it is now like water off a duck’s back.

“It is the Establishment lying to them and telling them to vote the way they want.”

He’s certain Cumbria is better off out, explaining: “What an opportunity there will be for young people in Cumbria if we control our own borders.

“Then if there were gaps in the Cumbrian economy, we would be able to put British people first.”