LETTER: Debacle over EU referendum

Already the Brexiters are reneging on the commitment, emblazoned all over their ‘battle bus’, to spend an extra £350 million per week on the NHS.

Having raised such expectations amongst impoverished and disaffected communities, they are now telling us, that actually, this was not their intention.

Likewise they have considerably scaled back their rhetoric about how Brexit will reduce immigration.

Even The Sun and The Daily Mail are now coming clean with other more truthful information about the real costs of Brexit on the lives of working people, having previously dismissed such statements as the propaganda of ‘Project Fear’.

Not surprisingly therefore many thousands have suddenly woken up to the fact that their ‘leave’ vote was a terrible mistake and have already joined the millions who have signed a petition calling for a new referendum under different rules.

In their defence the Brexiters tell us that the main thrust of their campaign was ‘taking back control’ of our laws and democracy from unelected Brussels bureaucrats.

Putting aside the dubious rhetoric and untruths spoken on this issue, such was not the main thrust of their campaign in disaffected working class areas.

There the dominant message was how the EU is to blame for immigration that is taking your jobs and imposing unbearable pressures on the NHS and school, etc.

It would be indecent and an affront to civilised values that a referendum result achieved by telling such disgusting and divisive lies should be allowed to stand.

MPs of all parties who supported ‘remain’ must re-unite to stop this madness. Article 50 must never be invoked.

If there is to be a repeat of the referendum, it should be re-run on completely different lines. The decision has long term implications for all of Britain and our place in the world.

A truly democratic process, therefore would give more weight to the votes of those with the greatest stake in the future – the young. A vote-counting formula must be found to produce a fairer result that better reflects their aspirations.

Most of my generation of ‘baby-boomers’ will not live to see the ultimate outcomes of this decision.

Therefore we should be content for our views to carry less weight than those of our children and grandchildren. We have no right to deprive them of the Britain they want for themselves and their children.

Brian Hanson

Searles View, Horsham

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