Economic issues facing Britain are not the fault of Brexit

From: David Gray, Liversedge.

JOHN TURLEY (The Yorkshire Post, December 27) again tries to blame Brexit for misfortunes that are caused by other problems. He complains of low interest rates. Everybody knows that interest rates took a hammering in 2008 when the five per cent rate was reduced drastically.

Certainly there was a period of 0.25 per cent from August 2016 to November 2017, but the current base is now 0.75 per cent, the highest since March 2009. More importantly it has to be realised that interest rates around the world are considerably lower than they used to be. Not a fault of Brexit but of world finance and economics.

He also complains about depressed investments but the indicator of the FTSE shows fluctuations within a range of 5,000 to 6,000 points in 2008, and 6,000 to 7,000 more recently.

It really is important that facts are used in debating these issues. It is also important to realise that the EU is not without its problems. Consider Greece and Italy, and recent events in France.

From: Nick Yates, Laverock Lane, Brighouse.

THE euro will collapse. It is based on an economic concept that cannot work. A nation cannot function without controlling its currency by devaluing, revaluing or responding to market forces. The longer this matter is ignored, the more catastrophic the collapse will be.

The Greek economy has failed completely and Italy is now at crisis point. Italy has little choice but to dump the euro and return to the lira.

From: John Van der Gucht, Cross Hills.

BREXITEERS (The Yorkshire Post, December 27) bullishly, and somewhat blithely, dismiss the need for trade deals, and would opt for a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Apart from the fact that there is no majority in Parliament to vote for this, Brexiteers ignore the advantages of the single market giving free access to a market extending from the Shetlands to Sicily, and Portugal to Bulgaria. Industry needs this customs union and all the trade deals enacted on our behalf, including over 50 with countries outside the EU. Among them are Japan and Canada, with whom our businesses can do deals and trade. Ask any livestock farmer whether they favour no deal.

From: Phyllis Capstick, Hellifield.

TO my mind, leave means leave. No deals ever came into the equation, so why, after the result, has any deal ever been introduced into the mix? Let democracy stand supreme.