Time for a People’s Vote
Dear Editor,
Theresa May’s government is probably the worst government in modern times and has shown itself divided, leaderless and incompetent in the Brexit negotiations, with huge risks to the country’s future prosperity as a result.
Yet the dithering by both Nicola Sturgeon and Jeremy Corbyn on the Brexit issue has meant there is no effective opposition to Brexit – not least to the disastrous prospect of there being no deal at all with our European neighbours.
The Liberal Democrats were first to demand a People’s Vote on the Brexit terms and we have now been joined by an increasing number of sensible people in Labour, the Conservatives and the SNP.
Yet the leadership of both Labour and the SNP are absent from duty.
The SNP are still up an irrelevant independence cul-de-sac when Scotland is crying out for effective opposition to Brexit.
Meantime, Mr Corbyn and the Labour leadership can only be described as fellow travellers on the Tory Brexit.
Interestingly, the public trust neither the Westminster Government nor the SNP Government on Brexit.
Last weekend’s rally for a People’s Vote in Edinburgh and previous marches across England have shown how the public mood is changing.
Now the largest poll of public attitudes to Brexit since the EU referendum has found overwhelming majorities in Scotland for staying in Europe and for a People’s Vote on the terms.
The SNP’s current voters want to stay in the EU by a margin of 83 per cent to 17 per cent, while they back a People’s Vote on Brexit by a margin of more than fourto-one (66 per cent to 18 per cent) once don’t knows have been removed.
Labour’s current supporters in Scotland would vote to stay in the EU by a margin of 74 per cent to 26 per cent and support a People’s Vote by 64 per cent to 21 per cent.
It is increasingly obvious that whatever deal can be patched up by the Tories on Brexit, it will not be anything like as good as the deal we have now as EU members.
Why on earth will the SNP and Labour leaders not do their obvious duty and back the Liberal Democrats in supporting a People’s Vote on Brexit?
It is what the vast majority of their supporters want – it is certainly what the country needs.
It would actually make it very likely that this disastrous Brexit could be stopped. Councillor Robert Brown, via email