It’s the will of some people - not all the people

LOOK at the numbers

I am tired of hearing the smug references by politicians to the “will of the people”. This actually means the will of some people on June 23rd 2016.

The 17M who voted to leave the EU comprised 37.4 per cent of the total UK electorate, a relatively low percentage in view of the ensuing chaos.

Where are we now? In 2016 four major polls showed that just over 70 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds who voted in the referendum backed Remain, with just under 30 per cent backing Leave. In contrast, only 40 per cent of those aged 65 and over supported Remain, while 60 per cent voted Leave.

Compared with 2016, some of those aged 65 and over will no longer be with us, whilst more of the younger group will be eligible to vote, shifting “the will of the people” towards Remain. The average of four polls carried out by Survation between May and July 2018 showed that a total of 82 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds with a voting preference said that they would vote Remain in a second referendum while only 18 per ce nt of this age group say they would vote Leave; in contrast, two-thirds of those aged 65 and over would back Leave, while only one-third would favour Remain, so the generational split persists.

These results suggest that the small majority obtained for Leave versus Remain (51.9:48.1) is highly likely to be smaller now. Furthermore, as negotiations continue after March 2019, it seems difficult to imagine that this trend would be reversed.

So where are we now with “the will of the people”. Younger people will have to live with decisions made now for much longer than older ones.

We understand that Teresa May will be spending the next week or so attempting to gain support from the population.

I sincerely hope that she will be visiting schools and colleges, as will our MPs, to listen to students before it is too late.

I have never felt any enthusiasm for a People’s Vote in the past because of the inevitable unrest and unpleasantness that will result.

However, I sincerely believe that the country is on the verge of making on enormous mistake. Now that we are clear what Brexit really means it is absolutely essential to respect the younger generation and also find out what “the will of the people” actually is. If a People’s vote again produced a Leave result, at least we could be sure that Brexit was on a firm foundation with the backing of the electorate. I do not believe that this is currently the case.

Finally, in today’s letter, Mrs May says “It (the deal agreed by the EU today) must mark the point when we put aside the labels of ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ for good and we come together again as one people”. This is a false hope. Personally, I feel increasing despair and anger.

The country has been divided by Brexit to an extent that it is unlikely to be united for many years to come.

Marianne Gilbert Quorn