Divided we fall

As a Leave voter I am very disappointed at the small majority the government obtained in the EU repeal bill. It really is nothing short of an affront to democracy.

As I live in Scotland and my constituency backed remain I was not at all surprised that my MP voted against the bill; however, how will constituents be feeling in areas where the majority voted Leave when they realise that their own MP has ignored their wishes and decided that they know best for the people of that constituency? It is a disgrace to democracy – I hope that when the next general election comes voters will remember this; the position of any MP who voted against this bill where the electorate voted Leave is surely untenable.

And how is this going to look to the EU? Intent on making negotiations as awkward and inflexible as possible, they will see a country whose par- liament is divided – it hardly gives us a strong negotiating stance. Theresa May needs support to get the best deal possible for Britain. The old saying “united we stand, divided we fall” comes to mind. GORDON KENNEDY Simpson Square, Perth

Gordon Kennedy urges Tony Blair, if he “loves Europe so much”, to go and live there (Letter, 11 September). However, TB, like all of us in the UK already lives in Europe (also, in the EU at present).

Why should he go and live in another European country just because he wants to save us from the idiocy of Brexit? STEUART CAMPBELL Dovecot Loan, Edinburgh

Any of the First Minister’s opponents tempted to take her up on her latest offer to work together should remember what happened the last time (“Sturgeon calls for ‘consensus’ to protect Scotland from Brexit”, 12 September).

In the immediate aftermath of the EU referendum she similarly called for a cross party approach to ensuring the best outcome for Scotland from Brexit. She reassured leaders of other parties that she would not make it all about independence but then, of course, did. Worse still, in the midst of

a debate in this year’s general election, Nicola Sturgeon used part of a private conversation she had with Kezia Dugdale a year earlier against her.

So, any takers for some more “consensus” talks with the First Minister? KEITH HOWELL

White Moss West Linton, Peeblesshire

Nicola Sturgeon calls for a “new spirit of consensus” but is actually trying to hoodwink all the other parties into joining with her so that she can escape the blame for the Scottish National Party’s last ten years of error-strewn government and the current poor state of affairs in Scotland. She used to proclaim every other party in Scotland was rubbish. Now she wants to embrace them. The general public is not fooled. Twenty years of devolution has achieved precious little. More and more voters just see it as another tier of expensive mismanagement paid for by stretched taxpayers. Ms Sturgeon has promisedthese taxpayers more pain coming soon, as long as she can dodge the blame. She has run out of ideas and is heading Scotland in the wrong direction. The consensus amongst voters is that we need new ideas from a different source, not more of the same old policies “refreshed.” (DR) GERALD EDWARDS

Broom Road, Glasgow