Brexit truths

While it is true that Germany’s Council of Economic Experts continue to recommend that Brexit should “be avoided because of its far reaching impact”, it was very misleading of your correspondent to claim that “the EU has as much to lose as Britain” and that’s why the EU “negotiators are being so inflexible and dogmatic” (Letters, 10 November).

The German report is in the context of upward revisions for the prospects of the German economy and a very positive view of the EU economy in general despite Brexit.

In the single paragraph about Brexit, the report states categorically that “all four basic freedoms are inviolable” and that “‘cherry-picking’ must not be permitted.”

In other words, the German experts, along with almost all other economic experts in the world, know perfectly well that the EU can and will prosper without Britain while the reverse is absolutely untrue.

It is time to stop the crazy, isolationist, impoverishing course which the current government has set the country on and to make sure that Britain stays a full member of the

EU with all its citizens’ rights, protections and privileges.

BILL COOPER

Highfield Circle, Kinross

Few people would deny we are living through a time of political falsehoods, with politicians being even more economical with the truth than usual but two interesting stories emerged last week concerning Brexit.

First, the head of the NHS quite rightly asked when the extra billions promised by the Leave campaign were going to be paid to help alleviate waiting lists and recruitment.

This, of course, was not a throwaway pledge by the ‘Leave’ campaign made in the heat of debate. It was emblazoned across their battle buses and formed the centrepiece of most of their referendum broadcasts.

Senior Tory ministers such as Boris Johnston and Michael Gove created and validated this ‘offer’ on every possible occasion, persuading many people, I imagine, who were on NHS waiting lists to vote accordingly.

The Tories now claim disingenuously this was not government policy and should not have been taken seriously.

I do not recall Theresa May, ostensibly in the ‘Remain’ camp, speaking out against it. Maybe she was too busy jockeying for position to become the most ineffectual Prime Minister in modern times in the event of a leave vote.

Second, Lord Kerr, the diplomat responsible for formulating Article 50, has now made it clear that it is not too late to reverse the decision to leave the EU, despite counter claims from Mrs May and her ‘Leave’ cohorts.

What are the chances of this happening? Nil. So we will lurch headlong into the unknown, guaranteeing further years of economic uncertainty and austerity.

When she eventually falls on her sword, sooner rather than later, she and her party will be remembered not only for staggering ineptitude but also for one of the biggest and most damaging lies in British political history.

With this in mind, it is the perfect opportunity for the Labour Party, who will almost certainly form the new government in the advent of another general election, to campaign to take us out of this suicidal process.

But does Jeremy Corbyn have the political guts and integrity to do this?

The Glebe , Cramond

Edinburgh

D MITCHELL