‘Blame game’ remains a popular position right across the political spectrum

With Boris Johnson’s revised Brexit proposals looking more and more as though they are on the point of rejection by the EU, the blame game has started in earnest. Even though they were designed to fail, Boris is hoping to make himself a martyr, and pin the blame firmly on the EU, or Remainers, or Parliament, or Judges, or Jeremy Corbyn – anyone other than himself and the Tory party.

But Brexiteers need to look long and hard at how their campaign has been conducted. No thought appears ever to have been given to the fact that the UK’S exit from the EU would mean a hard border on the island of Ireland, a hard border which virtually guarantees the return of the Troubles. And let us not forget that the terrorism was not just in Northern Ireland; no part of the country was immune from bombs and bullets.

Brexiteers said the pound would remain strong, but anyone who has been on holiday abroad over the last three years knows that sterling is down about 20 per cent, and prices in the shops for food and petrol have risen accordingly. And there were lies in the campaign itself. £350 million extra a week for the NHS even though the UK didn’t actually pay £350m a week to the EU. 70 million Turks suddenly being able to come to the UK – absolute lie. The UK forced to contribute to a EU army – another lie, the UK always had an opt-out and this idea was going nowhere.

A No deal is not the answer, as there would be shortages of fresh food, medicine and petrol, and horrendous queues of HGVS on the roads to our ports. We need a second referendum, based on facts not lies, as Labour have suggested, the best possible deal to Leave against staying as we are.

PHIL TATE Craiglockhart Road, Edinburgh

Like Boris Johnson, Murdo Fraser (Scotsman 9 October), is desperate to blame Germany, Ireland and now the SNP for a Tory no deal Brexit disaster and has obviously not read the Scottish Government’s Overview of No Deal preparations paper which outlines the billions in unnecessary costs for the Scottish economy.

Murdo Fraser forgets that Scotland voted to remain and we are being taken out of the EU against our will. Analysis by Citi bank calculated UK national income is already between £55bn and £66bn lower than it would have been if the UK had voted Remain.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated the UK’S black hole deficit is on course to top £50bn next year with the UK national debt solely run up by Westminster going over £100bn, interest on which already accounts for one quarter of Scotland’s total notional GERS deficit.

Nicola Sturgeon put forward sensible proposals to keep the UK in the single market and customs union which would have solved the Irish border problem but Theresa May didn’t listen.

Labour and Lib Dems also hasten the prospect of a No deal Brexit thanks to Jo Swinson’s vanity and unrealistic proposal to have a Tory lead a government of national unity if Boris Johnson is defeated, while Labour now wants to negotiate a new Brexit deal then oppose it in another EU referendum. scotland couldn’ t possibly make such a mess of running our own affairs.

FRASER GRANT Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh