The Remain parties must unite in the European elections – otherwise the Brexit Party will prevail

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

I agree with everything Vince Cable has to say, with one exception.

The focus on voting for a Remain party rather than a Remain ticket is more than just pedantry. Our electoral system means that votes are allocated to party lists, running the huge risk of splitting the Remain vote and paving the way for a Brexit majority to prevail.

In continuing to focus on party differences rather than the key target of preventing Brexit, the Lib Dems, Greens, Change UK, SNP, Plaid Cymru etc are acting as politicians.

Unless they come together and act like statespeople on this overarching issue, they risk letting future generations down badly. Never mind tuition fees; failure to get this one right will never be forgiven.

Clive Firman​
York

Janet is right about the House of Lords

Janet Street-Porter on the pampered peers has said all that needs to be said against such disgraceful options for the retired generation.

Her detailing alone of the subsidies doled out to peers is an eye-opener.

John Edgar
Kilmaurs, East Ayrshire

Is Brexit meant to punish us?

As the 2016 referendum recedes into history and a new generation of pro-Europeans arrive, it is increasing difficult to see why they should be denied a fresh vote, with proper safeguards to avoid the malpractice of the old one.

The only paradigm I can see offering even the vaguest rationale for holding the country to that dodgy decision of nearly three years ago would be the judicial model. That is, that the country must take responsibility for its actions on 23 June 2016. If it means hardship, tough luck. You voted to leave, so leave you shall. You made your bed so you must lie on it.

This would certainly be in keeping with the punitive element inherent in right-wing politics: the war on drugs, austerity and so on. It would fit in with the harsh attitude of our ex-Home Office prime minister and a government who appear oblivious to the suffering of EU citizens and child refugees alike.

On this model the desire of liberals and progressives to escape the tragedy of Brexit would be comparable to the person in the dock pleading mitigation: “Your honour, I know I knocked over the cyclist, but the sun was in my eyes.” Equivalent to the country saying: “We believed some lies on the side of a bus, so can’t you let us off?” Not likely, and the fine in the case of Brexit will be umpteen billion.

Needless to say I don’t believe the British public should be punished for the Brexit debacle. We have already suffered enough, and we don’t need to be sentenced to another twenty years of it. We have learnt our lesson, and deserve some mercy. Scrap Brexit and let us start again.

John King
Pebworth, Worcestershire​

Why aren’t we building our own 5G network?

Is it just ideology and political dogma that has led Theresa May, against the advice of all her relevant senior advisers, to push for the involvement of Huawei in building our 5G network? Has this process been the subject of competitive tendering? Will Huawei be in receipt of state subsidy, as has been suggested?

If, as has been stated, Huawei will only be involved in “non-core” aspects of the project, like the erection of antenna, why cannot a western or even a UK company not carry out this work?

Our politicians keep telling us that we will be world leaders in high-tech industries like autonomous cars, but it seems when it comes to putting up network of antenna we need to call on Chinese expertise. Or just maybe we are not being told the full story.

As far as the leak is concerned, I would like to think that those responsible will be charged under the Official Secrets Act, as would any other citizen of this country.

Geoff Forward
Stirling

Something has to change

The challenge of matching the need for action on climate change to the lifestyle urges of the cash-affluent was amply demonstrated in the pages of today’s Daily Edition app.

The Letters page covered support for Extinction Rebellion by a long list of academics, educators and other professionals.

Elsewhere in the car pages of The Magazine, we discovered the perils of driving an electric car on a longish journey almost anywhere, and in the Traveller section we were informed that we may not be able to stand on ever-crowded trains.

But who cares? In the same Traveller section we learn we can fly to Sharjah in the UAE and drive around some sand dunes, or better than enjoying our 50th birthday in the many good venues in Cardiff, why not fly off to Malaga for a blast?

Something more than China’s massive cement industry has got to change.

Gary Wiltshire
Bunwell, Norfolk

Tactical voting

Faced with a perplexing voting system and a plethora of parties, will The Independent help readers out on 22 May, please, by telling us how best to vote tactically in order to remain in the EU?

Patrick Cosgrove
Bucknell, Shropshire