Wanting to Remain doesn’t mean you are unpatriotic

DR ANDY McWilliam (Letters March 7) states that “Patriotic Britons shall now defend the 52 per cent, respecting the 48 per cent who lost the ballot”. He would appear to conflate patriotism with nationalism.

A patriot is someone who, according to my dictionary, loves their country. If you love your country you will do everything you can to ensure that it thrives and prospers.

Steve Coltman, who also writes in support of Brexit, I have no doubt believes that leaving the EU is the best course for our country and I would not question his patriotism.

Those of us who believe that leaving the EU will do great damage to our country would be unpatriotic if we failed to do our best, within the law, to prevent this.

I wish to remain a European citizen and a citizen of the United Kingdom.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU and if we leave I am concerned that our country could be dismembered with the loss of Scotland and possibly Northern Ireland. I want to remain in both unions.

As to “those denying the will of the people”, the equivalent of five people for and five people against hardly counts as expressing a will. The vote was carried by a narrow margin.

If 90 per cent of the population had voted one way such an assertion might have some validity. In fact we simply split right down the middle.

Nicky Morgan, in supporting what she assesses to be best for the country, is doing her duty as our MP. She is our representative, appointed to use her judgement, not a delegate sent to register what she has been instructed to do. If we don’t like her judgement, we don’t have to vote for her at the next election.

John Catt