All sides in divisive debate should be shown respect

AT A time when relations between Ireland and the UK are strained by Brexit, it is disappointing that misrepresentations about our UK

neighbours appear in your admirable paper. Colette Browne (‘Our Government cannot allow Brexit charlatans to take us down with them as they sacrifice UK’s future’, Irish Independent, January 16) starts her article by stating “Brexit is a cult supported by fanatics”. What do you think the statistical probability of 17.4 million fanatics existing in the UK is?

She goes on to misquote Liam Fox’s argument that, as the UK starts in total regulatory alignment with the EU, a trade deal should be one of the easiest, as “would be one of the easiest”, thus completely misrepresenting Mr Fox’s point.

Trade deals usually take significant time to reach regulatory alignment.

Our friends in the UK voted narrowly for Brexit for many reasons including ones I expect Irish people agree with, such as a desire to make its own laws.

They are not cultists nor fanatics; my five English-born children disagreed agreeably on the issue. I encourage my children to read the Irish Independent and often highlight excellent articles to them; they do not deserve to have smears from one side of an unfortunately divisive debate applied to them. Frank Devine

Kenilworth, England