Crisis deepening over Brexit
I do not believe that the scale of the political crisis which has arisen over Brexit has yet been
truly appreciated by the general public.
In the past, when we have been threatened by war, the country was, albeit with a few dissenting voices, united and determined to win. However the current situation is similar to the Reformation, when state power versus that of the Church was the central issue, and of the Civil War when the rights of the monarchy against those of Parliament were the primary concern.
At those times the country was split in a way that could not be resolved by simple discussion, as the soul of the nation was at stake. Now we face a situation where the majority of the people wish to put an end to rule by a foreign power, yet a substantial minority desire such a situation to continue. Do the latter, who look likely to succeed in overturning the largest democratic vote in our history, really think that things can then just go on as before?
Unless the will of the people is honoured then democracy in this country is in great peril, and the resolution of the matter may lie in a comparable upheaval to that of the other great historical divisions named above.
Colin Bullen
Douglas Road, Tonbridge
Yes, Theresa May, true to form, has done it again; called off the House of Commons vote after getting a host of ministers to traverse the country telling interviewers for the public’s benefit, that the vote would definitely not be cancelled. Even on the morning of the announcement on Monday, ministers were still claiming the vote would go ahead. I’m tempted to say ‘come what may’, with no pun or irony intended, but suffice to say, this is yet another example of her poor decision making. As for the EU; having demonstrated its attachment to the Eagles lyrics ‘you can check out, but you can never leave’, after the announcement of the European Court of Justice (also on Monday) it surely has to be the only club in history where a member has to get the permission of all the other members to leave, but not to rejoin! What a farce.
Christopher Hudson-Gool
Sutton Road, Maidstone