Claiming older folk were scaremongered into voting to leave EU is just wrong

Rarely have I seen such closeminded and ill-informed views expressed by a young person as those given a public airing by Hannah Scott in her article about the Brexit Referendum (Scotsman 200, 8 February). Clearly Ms Scott needs to brush up on her knowledge of the UK’S 43-year history in the EEC/EU, and how this economic organisation (EEC) we joined so enthusiastically has evolved into a political union, where more and more pow- ers have been devolved from national parliaments to the European Commission and European Parliament. Despite all these changes in the shape and direction of the organisation that evolved into the European Union, the British electorate was repeatedly denied any say on our continued membership of this organisation as UK politicians refused to give us the opportunity to express our opinions.

Ms Scott’s revisionist view that the older generation were scaremongered into voting to leave the EU is simply a blatant distortion of the facts. The Treasury, Bank of England, IMF, World Bank, business leaders, innumerable “experts”, and even President Obama tried to paint a picture of Armageddon if we left the EU.

With regard to refugees fleeing persecution, the UK remains a welcoming place for genuine refugees – but all governments must have the right to turn away economic migrants. As for our ability to travel freely in Europe after we have left the EU – why should that change? Long before we joined the EEC in 1972, British citizens travelled freely throughout Europe – without the need for visas – with the exception of countries like Poland or Hungary, which were then under Communist rule, behind the Iron Curtain.

If Ms Scott believes only young people’s votes on Brexit should count because they are affected more than anyone else, then perhaps we could extend that approach to other areas of British Government policies. In which case, only pregnant women should have a say on maternity rights or how gynaecology units should be administered. Only prisoners, and those facing criminal prosecution, should have the right to decide on prison conditions and sentencing guidelines since they are the only ones affected. And so on. Perhaps Ms Scott would prefer that the older generation not be entitled to have a view, and have no say in how their taxes are spent?

Ms Scott clearly has a problem understanding the democratic process, but I hope her views are not widely shared by the majority of her generation. JOHN MAGUIRE Springwood Bank Kelso, Roxburgheshire