Britain must fight back when Brussels makes unreasonable demands
SIR – Your leader (February 11) is right: it’s about time Britain started calling the shots in the Brexit talks, rather than absorbing like a soft sponge everything that Michel Barnier throws at us.
Our divorce bill should not be seen as a given, and Mr Barnier should be reminded of the true meaning of negotiation. So far, according to his definition, it has meant a list of EU demands and threats, rather than compromise and mutual understanding.
Wesley Hallam
Ubley, Somerset
SIR – It is clear that Mr Barnier is negotiating on behalf of the EU project, rather than for the benefit of the EU’s citizens.
They, like citizens in Britain, will lose out if an effective trade deal is not achieved. However, the unelected bureaucrats in Brussels are more concerned about preserving the bloc.
This attitude is partly responsible for the situation in Greece, Spain and Portugal, where unemployment levels are unacceptably high.
Robert Sharp
East Grinstead, West Sussex
SIR – With Brexit, it was always obvious that we could not have our cake and eat it – so why the anger when Mr Barnier spells this out?
All the forecasts commissioned by the Government show that, whether Brexit is hard, soft, or in-between, this country will be worse off for the next 15 years. Brexiteers must face this fact.
Valerie Crews
Beckenham, Kent
SIR – I agree with Janet Daley (Comment, February 11) that the EU is panicking. She is also right to say: “Brussels expects submission. The British do not submit.”
May I suggest that Leave-supporting organisations across the country unite to mount a media campaign, using these words as their slogan?
Mark Hicks
Gloucester
SIR – What, precisely, is the purpose of this “period of transition” for Brexit? It will simply compound the muddle we are already in, and make leaving even harder when the time finally comes.
We must make a clean break by March 2019.
Richard Fagan
Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire
SIR – I voted for Brexit because it was the only option for those of us who wanted to see a reformed EU.
I had hoped that Britain would negotiate a Norwegian-type arrangement that would allow us to remain in the European Economic Area, with the possibility of rejoining the EU at a later date if it made the necessary reforms.
Although the majority of the electorate voted for Brexit, it is mistaken to interpret this as a mandate for a clean break from Europe.
Hugh Foster
Farnborough, Hampshire