Remaindered

Industry is warning that it expects growth to be stalled by a lack of skilled workers. Frankfurt is one massive building site because as many as 100,000 bankers could move there from UK finance centres. Yet letters to the press proclaim that Remainers are just bad losers. How can one explain that?

My view is that Leave voters got persuaded by the vehemence of the Leave campaign’s condemnation of European rascals, so-called corruption and dominant bureaucracy and law courts. Academics who are paid to judge these things did not share the Leave views or agree with claims that we have been shortchanged by Europe.

This is indeed a crunch week for negotiations on Europe. The Tories, with an hysterical right wing press and media demanding that we give way in no area, probably can’t make progress on the immediate issues. But financial services in Scotland and London say that can’t delay relocation plans – at least for key workers.

We needed a strong and stable British government which could move smoothly through sensible compromises with detailed solutions. What we have is an inert and unstable government which is happy to leave the NHS, banking, computing, engineering, farm- hospitality, car industry, nuclear industry and Brits living abroad exposed to the full disadvantages of a hard Brexit – just to keep the Tory press off their backs.

And some Scotsman correspondents still seem to feel I need sympathy for being a Remainer, so easily upset about losing. I don’t take this as a personal issue, it is more like having an impending death in the family.

ANDREW VASS Corbiehill Place, Edinburgh