Editorial Comment:
SIR – How prescient of Allister Heath (Comment, August 23) to remind us of George Osborne’s doom-laden and now disproved predictions of what would happen to if we had the temerity to vote Leave in the referendum.
I read his article on the very day that Mr Osborne’s successor, Philip Hammond, tried the very same tactic, clearly with the intent of spiking Dominic Raab’s attempts to allay fears about a no-deal Brexit. Do politicians never learn from history?
Chart Sutton, Kent
SIR – The Government must understand that those who voted to leave the EU are happy to accept the short-term pain of a possible hit to the economy for the long-term gain of freedom to control our own laws and destiny. Dr Janet Voke
Monks Risborough, Buckinghamshire
SIR – The £80billion that Philip Hammond claims a no-deal Brexit would cost the economy would immediately be halved by not paying the exit fee of £40 billion.
Towcester, Northamptonshire SIR – Philip Hammond pretends he can accurately forecast the catastrophic state of the economy in 15 years’ time and expects everyone to believe him.
Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
SIR – Hasn’t the Chancellor noticed that we have a trade deficit with the EU of more than £70billion a year, while with the rest of the world our trade is close to being in balance?
Hasn’t he also noticed that the euro is a distorted currency, being hugely undervalued relative to the German economy, and overvalued for southern members?
Germany’s huge trade surplus gives it negligible debt-servicing costs and an enormous capability of outinvesting in efficiency, underbidding for EU contracts, and annihilating manufacturing competition.
What forecast has the Chancellor for us for 2033 if we stay in the EU?
Bordon, Hampshire
SIR – Plans are well advanced in case of a no-deal Brexit. Is it too soon to start making plans for the Independence Day celebrations?
Shouldn’t we be planning our street parties and garden fêtes? Hopefully the Government will declare an Independence Day bank holiday that we can celebrate every year.
Ely, Cambridgeshire
SIR – No 10’s no-deal briefing papers have been produced by civil servants who for the past 45 years have worked obediently to the commands of Brussels. No wonder the documents focus on the perils of leaving the EU, with little focus on the benefits that are there for the UK to derive.
One day a minister will stand up in public and extol the bullishness of the British character and its ethic of “we will succeed, whatever the pressure”. If the minister did, would the BBC report it?
Bickington, Devon
SIR – I walked out of the room in my home in which the BBC 6pm news was showing, in disgust. The BBC was once revered around the world for balanced reporting. What I observed was Project Fear re-invented.
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
SIR – I have not yet read every word of the Government’s briefing papers on the consequences of no deal. Nevertheless, I am disgusted at the way BBC radio news has chosen to describe the papers as concerning “crashing out with no deal”. I doubt that those words are used anywhere in the papers, and we deserve better from our national broadcaster.
Balderton, Nottinghamshire
SIR – I have begun to clean out my garage, after suggestions from my wife spanning several decades. This is mainly because I can no longer get to the freezer, in which I believe there are frozen foodstuffs.
A large crate of glass jars inherited from my late parents is one of many interesting objects I have unearthed. The jars bear labels such as “Homemade Tayberry Jam 1996”. Normally I would give them to Mr Compost Heap, but in view of possible food shortages after Brexit I have decided to keep them. Assuming I do not succumb to botulism, people may be fighting in the street for such goodies. This windfall is entirely due to the forbearance of my good lady wife, and I would like to thank her publicly.