Vince Cable is right. We need a Final Say to stop our country becoming permanently divided

Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Thursday 24 October 2019 15:22 BST
Comments
Related video: Vince Cable criticises other anti-Brexit parties over Euro elections
Related video: Vince Cable criticises other anti-Brexit parties over Euro elections

Vince Cable is absolutely right when he draws attention to the risk that the country could stay divided over Brexit indefinitely.

It seems to me that the dangers posed by a permanently divided society now outweigh the whole of both sides of the Brexit argument in terms of the potential future damage to the social and cultural fabric of our society.

Like many, I follow this closely but I have seen nothing from politicians about how we will be unified afterwards and, unless we are, we will not move forward.

The only conceivable solution is a Final Say referendum. Accepting the outcome would be difficult for both sides but all would know that the result represented the views of an informed electorate perhaps an electorate more informed than any other, ever.

To me, Brexit is a damaging neoliberal project which has tricked large parts of the nation. I reject it vehemently but I would accept the outcome of a second referendum and find a way to move on if Leave won again.

Regardless of any outcome, the next thing I want is major strengthening of controls over public dishonesty and deception. This could start with banning media briefings by unaccountable civil servants in Downing Street who play games with people’s lives.

How low must we sink?

David Lowndes
Hampshire

What lies in store for Britain?

I’ve just read Samah Hadid’s piece about Lebanon, the unrest, the shortages, the unemployment. Even longstanding sectarian divisions have yielded to a common opposition to the self-serving elements of the political class.

If Boris Johnson’s Brexit goes ahead, with or without his deal, that could be the UK in not many years’ time. But why would he care?

Susan Alexander
South Gloucestershire

Heated argument

Your item on portable heaters confuses efficiency with effectiveness of heat. All electric heating is 100 per cent efficient as all the heat is contained in the room and there is no loss (once the electricity is inside your house that is). Fan heaters and oil-filled radiators may distribute the heat more effectively but are no more efficient than any other electric heater.

People are already poorly informed about heating and energy and many struggle to get to the reality of it. Perpetuating confusion with colloquial use that distorts the meaning of important defining words only adds to the confusion.

Ashley Herbert
West Yorkshire

Apathetic fallacy

John Rentoul writes: “I don’t know how much he [Boris Johnson] understood about the mood of exhaustion among Labour MPs, but he did grasp the effectiveness of the slogan, ‘Get Brexit Done’.”

This slogan, along with other Johnson phrases such as “the country is tired” and “just get it over the line” are very dangerous, suggesting that we are now worn down to a state of such apathy that we will accept whatever the government can be bothered to offer us.

Are we really content to be persuaded by cleverly designed advertising jingles rather than by clearly and honestly presented policy? After all, I can indeed believe that it’s not butter.

Beryl Wall
London

Meet back here? 2044?

Your article about 17 minutes of Brexit sense is spot on. Right down to the fact that many of those debating had indeed been around for Maastricht.

It is simply unbelievable that they still at it.

But what’s worse is that we the public, whatever persuasion we are from, are continuing to pay for them to have turned parliament into the Brexit chamber. This is an all-consuming Tory argument with itself that leaves no room to govern this country at all.

“Getting brexit done” really means only opening up the next stage of the process. That is the stage that is the really difficult one as it is all about the deal. Since we can’t agree on how we leave after three years and counting... good luck with that.

If this keeps up I could be writing on similar terms in 25 years’ time!

John Sinclair
East Riding of Yorkshire

If only there was some way to test public opinion...

The Brexiteers keep referring to the will of the people.

We can now find out the exact will of the people by having a referendum where the electorate vote for which one of the four possibilities available they regard as the best for the UK to pursue: no deal; Johnson’s deal; May’s deal; or Remain.

What could be fairer than that?

Tony Baker
North Yorkshire

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in