Not undemocratic

Having long since given up caring about what happens in the neverending Brexit debate, I feel I must comment on the regularly repeated view that to oppose the result of the referendum is undemocratic.

Our democracy, which is the blueprint for most if not all western democracies, has at its heart the need for an effective and free opposition.

This is clearly established in our unwritten constitution with the appointment of the Leader of Her Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition.

Without an effective opposition we do not have a democracy; elections and voting alone do not make for a democratic government.

Many countries such as China, Russia and much of Africa have elections but have no effective opposition and are one party states merely paying lip service to democracy.

Following our referendum any opposition to the outcome is condemned as undemocratic.

This is clearly wrong and I would suggest dangerous if we value our free and open democracy, which allows us to change our minds on how we wish to be governed at least every five years.

We should value opposition as an essential part of our democratic government. Any attempt to devalue it will lead us down the road towards a one party state.

In the last century we witnessed three western European countries go down this road with devastating

results for millions of people. John Chadwick Waterlooville