Let’s hear it for Big Ben’s Brexit bong
I AM sad that we will be deprived of hearing Big Ben’s bongs at 11pm on January 31 in celebration of leaving Europe. Yes, £500,000 is a lot of money to temporarily repair the mechanism, but not in comparison to the extortionate amount spent on the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve firework display. Are we ashamed of the incredible achievement of gaining our independence? Are we afraid to stand proud as a fine and enduring Great Britain, once again in control of everything we hold precious and sacrosanct? We want to hear Big Ben’s bongs on the night we reengage with our democratic heritage.
LESLEY MOULD, East Garston, Berks. MAYBE it’s just as well Big Ben will not ring out to celebrate Britain leaving the EU, since the majority of Londoners voted Remain and will not be celebrating with the rest of the country. We should come up with another way of marking the occasion. I suggest a fly-past by the Red Arrows the length of the UK, though starting at the Scottish border so as not to upset Remainers in the Highlands. Or how about a public holiday on Monday, February 3? I’m sure Londoners and Scots would take part in that without too much encouragement. I will be celebrating quietly at home with a small tipple and a smile on my face.
MIKE QUINN, Nuneaton, Warks.
I VOTED to leave the EU and would certainly want Big Ben to ring out on January 31 — a historic moment for this country. The cost of £500,000 is a snip: it would cost each of the 17.4 million Leave voters just under 3p. Where can I donate? MAXINE ROOKE, Cropwell Butler, Notts. BORIS JOHNSON’S suggestion of crowd funding to raise the £500,000 cost of ringing Big Ben is a great idea. If the 650 MPs who wasted three years trying to kill off Brexit chipped in £770 each, we could celebrate in true British style the fact we are becoming a partially devolved member of the EU for the time being.
ALAN HARVEY, Yarm, N. Yorks. WHY were we not told it would cost £500,000 on December 31 when Big Ben’s chimes were heard at midnight? We celebrate New Year annually, but hopefully this will be the first and last time that the UK celebrates Brexit.
C. PASCOE, Biggin Hill, Gtr London. WHAT could be more important than celebrating one of the most momentous events in this country’s history — our freedom as we exit the EU. Surely that is worth ringing church bells across the length and breadth of the country, so shame on those who have decided that this great occasion will not be marked by the most famous chimes in the world.
SUSAN RICHARDSON, Sheffield.