Going forward

The first is that he tries to tar us Brexiteers all with the same brush, claiming it is ‘not the British way’ to call those who oppose your views traitors.

I don’t recall anyone saying that about opponents, but I do about ignoring the clearly expressed wish of the British electorate.

He goes on to feed that common deception of the EU by repeatedly referring to it as Europe. Once again (yawn) — the EU is not Europe (much as the zealots would like to make it so). Europe is geographical, The EU is political but of course the EU proponents will often use the two terms interchangeably — along with other misuses of language amounting to 1984 and ‘Brave New World’ all rolled into one with a great leavening of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to boot. We have been geographically part of Europe pretty much since the breakup of Pangaea but part of the EU only since devious politicians created it and it morphed from the EC into the EEC and then into the EU.

He still harps on about not knowing where we are going but it’s easy — we’re going forward, free and independent.

Your correspondent says the pro-Europe (I think he means pro-EU!) Liberal Democrats favour a ‘People’s Vote’ — well we had one in 2016 and just because he and his ilk don’t like the result it is no less valid and is no reason for another on the same subject.

He then suggests that referendums are not the British way and that we should leave it to the politicians — well look where that got us!

And quite what is the ‘British way’? Is it the way we started with the King deciding all, or is it the way of the system where the peasants were just an extension of the Lords’ possessions? Is it the way it was before the 1832 and subsequent Reform Acts or the way it was before women got the vote? I seem to remember John Major saying the same thing about referendums when he was being pressed to allow one but he now seems to have had a change of heart and thinks another one would be a good idea. ‘The British Way’ seems to be still evolving and I suspect has a fair way to go yet.

The truth is that politicians will use every trick in the book to go where they want to go and not where we — the people — want to go. They have been out of step with us for years and the 2016 referendum should have been a significant wake up call for them. But they carry on in the same old way — trying to explain away every difference of opinion between them and the electorate in every possible way, but in the way which is staring everyone else in the face.

I could go on ....

Stanley Oram, Bulbery, Abbotts Ann

Editor’s note: Brexiteers calling opponents ‘traitors’ could be seen in the letters section of this publication on many occasions, let alone further afield.