Why the idea of holding second vote on Brexit is nonsense

From: Tim Hunter, Farfield Avenue, Knaresborough.

THE latest argument from the ‘Remoaners’ appears to be let’s have either a Parliamentary vote or a referendum on the terms of Brexit (Dick Taverne, The Yorkshire Post, August 27). This is nonsense and unworkable.

The point is, the precise terms of Brexit will be a constantly changing picture and subject to constant negotiation.

The terms may vary over a number of weeks. The precise terms of our EU exit will be the responsibility of our elected government.

New opportunities for trade, and new opportunities for optimising and negotiating our new relationship with the EU, will manifest themselves all the time and need to be pursued.

What are we to do – to say to people, do you accept the current terms, the latest version of which would be perhaps in a complex 1,000 word document available online somewhere? What, when we’re just about to agree a new deal with another country?

Those terms can’t be put as a binary decision to anyone and not even to MPs, probably.

We were told in 2008 that we couldn’t have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, because we wouldn’t be able to understand the document. Well, just in the same way, it would be nonsensical to have a referendum or even a Parliamentary vote on the terms of Brexit.

We’ve had the referendum. The Government has been told what to do by the people. If the Government is to remain credible, it’s now the duty of Ministers to get on and implement Brexit as soon as possible.

From: Terry Maunders, Leeds.

LAST week I got up, switched on BBC World News to the spectacle of Nigel Farage speaking on a platform he shared with Donald Trump. In this speech he described himself, and Trump, as “anti-Establishment”.

What? He represents everything about “the Establishment” that we should loathe.

He had an ‘independent’ education (of course) and worked in the corrupt financial system.

He led a political party that had members whose views were clearly racist. These views still mirror a party that looks to our imperialist, nationalistic past as some heyday, when we exploited other cultures, as in India, for our own financial profit.

They make good bedfellows, Farage and Trump. Which is very frightening.

Make no mistake, they encapsulate all the very worst of “the Establishment”.