Blame the people

Joyce Mcmillan (Perspective, 23 June) is, partly, correct in saying that the Conservatives brought their current EU misfortune on themselves; Cameron for promising a referendum, and May for her spectacular own goal in calling an election. Ms Mcmillan misses one key point though – it wasn’t the Tories who took us out of the EU, it was the electorate – a point that is being eroded.

Mrs May’s majority was cut at the recent election, on which she fought on a platform of a hard Brexit, hence the hard bit is being ditched. What makes this problematic is that her big fall in the polls came with her proposed “dementia tax” i.e. nothing to do with the EU. But for that she probably would have kept a big lead. WILLIAM BALLANTINE

Dean Road, Bo’ness, West Lothian

No doubt Anthony O’donnell is serious, but his letter of 23 June is almost a self-parody of a diehard “remainer” and also a reflection of the arrogance of the EU, unable to see, or wilfully ignoring, alternative points of view.

Over 80 per cent of UK voters at the recent general election voted for parties opting to leave; the referendum a year ago gave a clear majority of “leavers”.

Mr O’donnell complains that Brexiteers, moved mainly by imperialisic nostalgia, offer no coherent case, and that the agressive and unrealistic UK Government negotiators, in tilting Quixotically at windmills, are ignoring the facts; politicians should, voting with their consciences, lead, rather than heed, UK public opinion so that Parliament can reverse our democratic choices, in the national interest.

His letter offers scant or no justifications for his assertions, ignores our democracy and gives no credit to the critics of the unelected EU Commissioners’ style, repeatedly refusing to accept unfavourable results after member nations’ referenda. Nor does he recognise the case that to leave the EU would allow us to regain Parliamentary control of our laws, our borders and our money, while complying with our democratic decisions.

There are good grounds for optimism that, once we regain control of our own UK national political destiny – the threat having receded of the EU’S tacit objective of forming a “United States of Europe” – while remaining on the very best of terms with our Continental trading partners, our national patriotism will bring new prosperity and justifiable pride in “Team GB”! (DR) CHARLES WARDROP Viewlands Road West, Perth

Thousands of Scottish farmers are facing fresh delays to receiving their European farming subsidies (your report, 23 June).

This is not the first time this has happened, since last year’s payments missed the deadline and farmers reliant on this money had to be given loans.

Despite Nicola Sturgeon refusing to answer the question in Holyrood, it is now confirmed that her officials had contacted the EU Commission to request a three-and-ahalf month extension to the 30 June deadline for processing all the farm payments.

It is understood that around 6,000 payments are outstanding. Is the Snp-dominated government so flush with cash that it can afford the potential £60 million in EU fines for the delay? Could we really trust the SNP to run an independent Scotland?

CLARK CROSS Springfield Road, Linlithgow

In a fit of absence of mind, David Cameron’s Conservative government failed to stipulate a minimum turnout and/ or percentage of votes needed for victory in the Brexit referendum.

Such conditions are standard in other nations for parliamentary votes or referendums on matters of constitutional significance and the significance of Brexit can hardly be exaggerated.

The consequences are as profound as they are perverse – the curtain is coming down on our day as one of the great trading nations, while the remaining EU is united as never before. In fact, our departure has left Europe healthier, economically and politically,

than it has ever been and the doom-laden forecasts about the fallout of our leaving look increasingly absurd. (REV DR) JOHN CAMERON

Howard Place, St Andrews

Once Britain leaves the EU, a Britisher living in the EU will be deemed to have “third country” status. Competence with regards to the status of third country individuals lies with individual EU member states, not the EU. It’s the EU which will have the very conpublishes siderable problem of representing the views of 27 member states. As such, Theresa May was mistaken in not keeping her cards close to her chest on this matter. She should have left it to the EU to make the first move.

YUGO KOVACH Winterborne, Houghton, Dorset

Andrew HN Gray states that Churchill would have preferred Britain to choose the open sea rather than Europe. Sadly, this analogy suggests that, currently, Britain is a rudderless ship with an uncertain destination which around half of the passengers have rejected, manned by a potentially mutinous crew, with little in the way of lifeboats and a captain who has few charts and will shortly be asked to walk the plank. It looks like we will all need to be three sheets to the wind to survive this cruise.

A reference was also made to unaccountable European bureaucrats. The EU Commission has around 33,000 staff in relation to a total combined population of 550 million citizens. By comparison the Scottish Government has 44,000 civil servants to administer the affairs of 5.4m of us living in Scotland. The Commission oversees the budget and represents the EU in trade agreements. It can propose new laws but does not make them; this responsibility rests with the European Parliament, which itself consists of members, including the UK, who are elected every five years.

A new law requires agreement by a majority of 55 per cent of EU countries, representing 65 per cent of the EU population. The Presidency of the Council rotates between member countries on a sixmonth basis and ironically, the UK would have held this status for the remaining months of this year. This duty now falls to Estonia. At this stage of the Brexit procedure let us at least make an effort to deal in facts, rather than propagating misrepresentations.

GRAHAM HAY Player Green, Livingston