Embarrassing era ends

SIR – The Leave vote may have brought an embarrassing era in British history to an end, although it’s a pity there was not more dignity about the campaign, and less ranting about foreigners and dictatorships.

Older readers will remember the unstable economic state of the country in the late 1960s and early 70s and US financial bailouts. Joining the European project was seen as the answer to our financial woes. Although the evidence was there, few people outside politics questioned the ultimate aims of the project. Those who did concluded that our trans-Atlantic former colonial cousins had done pretty well out of a federalised super-state which made it the most rich and powerful country in the world. There remain grumbles between the states and the federal government in Washington, but few want to break up the United States.

Joining the European project late, after much pleading on our part, meant that Britain missed out on making the rules and setting fees, and since then we have humiliatingly claimed ourselves a special case and demanded opt outs at every turn. Britain has tended to sneer and whinge on the side-lines, allowed Germany to take the lead and then complain about it. I wonder how much goodwill there will be from our former partners who tried to make a go of creating a successful and peaceful Europe however idealistic those post-war aims might have been?

The political editor of a top-selling national newspaper claimed last week that the EU was the cause of all Britain’s problems. Let us hope that the promised post-EU economic revival does happen and that future generations don’t spend 40 years resenting the consequences of leaving.

Derek Fearnside

Worcester

The best birthday gift

SIR – My birthday was on June 23. I had some wonderful e-mails and presents from around the place.

But the best present of all was when I awoke on June 24 at 7am and heard the news on my bedside radio. We are out of that unelected cesspit of the EU, in spite of the EU lies of the BBC, more lies from Cameron and Osborne, and what can you say about the low life Labour Corbyn? Even my local paper was very pro-EU, and Worcester people said out.

We are FREE.

J C Butterfield

UKIP Worcester

Continuing alarm

SIR – Contributions from Brexiteers during the last few pre-referendum days give rise to continuing alarm now that they have won it.

Francis Lankester (June 23) has, apparently, never taken on board the old advice about being in a hole and stopping digging. This latest on Norway’s trading relationship with the EU demonstrates, once again, that ignorance is the new knowledge. While pouring vitriol on me, he blithely ignores the letter from Krister Halvorsen (May 26), a well-informed Norwegian, no less, which comprehensively demolished Mr. Lankester’s spurious claims. But then, we’ve had enough of experts, have we not? That nice Michael Gove says so.

Then there was the strange, and rather sad, offering of John Charles Butterfield (June 22), who seems not to have been able to comprehend that my previous letters have been sparked purely by the lies and distortions, “shouted” very loudly, over and again, by the Brexit Brigade. It is this latter which has had “least to shout about”, notwithstanding that it has won the referendum. Incidentally, does anyone know what my being able to pick out a bit of a tune on a range of instruments (including the “plink a plonk one”) has to do with the price of the EU fish?

To continue in musical vein, Wendy Hands must be the only person in the county who is not aware that Elgar wrote Pomp & Circumstance No. 1 in DMajor as a purely orchestral piece, and was mortified and aggrieved when his “tune” was hijacked and had a jingoistic, flag-waving lyric overlaid onto it.

These three letter-writers do not fill me with optimism about our post-Brexit future.

David Barlow

Worcester

Feelings not understood

SIR – Again, our local political representatives have failed to understand the true feelings of our citizens.

Did they vote with their conscience? Or was it blind obedience to the, now, outgoing Prime Minister? Whatever their motives – they were wrong!

It is amazing that a Bavarian/German-born British Labour Party Member of Parliament representing Birmingham Edgbaston was able to demonstrate greater independence and patriotism than our own members of Parliament!

As an ex-Tory (now Ukip) member, I am happy to salute Gisela Stuart for her support of the British cause for independence.

Martyn Wheeler

St. Peter’s, Worcester

Accept the result

SIR – If the Remain side of the Referendum debate had won by the same margin as have the Brexit, would they think it reasonable for the Brexit side to demand a retrospective law to change the referendum regulations so as to favour their side?

The result is the result - get over it.

J Mahoney

Worcester

Opening cans of worms

SIR – Do the exit voters realise that they have opened up all kinds of cans of worms, such as:

1. All kinds of bad economic stuff.

2. The Scots will (quite rightly) push for a second referendum and will vote to leave the union.

3. There is talk in Ireland about a referendum on a unified Ireland - I don’t even want to think about that.

4. Boris Johnson - getting rid of Cameron was always his hidden agenda - and if he can get away with such an obvious lie as the “£350 million per week” lie then god knows what he’ll try next.

5. The EU will have to be tough in its negotiations with the UK to make leaving the EU look a bad option and put off other EU members from holding referenda.

6. The extreme right wing in a number of EU members is leading the demand for in/out referenda (so that they can get out of the EU and “sort out” the immigration problem). This is the one that really scares me because - especially if Trump is elected US president - herein lies the route to WW3. The EU was primarily created to prevent future European (and world) wars and the exit camp would have done well to remember this.

Finally, those laughing idiots in Sunderland, South Wales and various other places will not be laughing when they realise that:

(a) Boris only cares about London;

(b) the Japanese, Americans (and others) start shifting their investment (and jobs) into the remaining EU members because being within the single market is more important than being in an English-speaking country;

(c) the “special relationship” that the Americans want is with Europe and not just the UK.

And have the Labour voting members of the “leave” majority realised that once Scotland leaves us, the UK will be even more dominated by England which has a built in conservative majority and so the UK will have a Tory government permanently?

Perhaps voting “leave” wasn’t such a good idea after all...

John Redmond

St John’s, Worcester

Opposite conclusion

SIR – I received an e-mail from a Greek friend in Athens last Friday saying “Congratulation to all the British people. Britain writes world history once more, and firmly resists WW3” . It appears that some people in Europe draw the opposite conclusion about the result of a vote to leave than our leaders did.

Marilyn Leary

Worcester