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My crystal ball

My answer to Tony Mayer is that the EU referendum question was Leave or Remain. Unfortunately for him Leave won. There was no caveat that we had to have a good trade deal before the UK leaves. The EU was never going to agree a decent deal for the UK, surely even the stoutest remainer must see by now, that the EU is totally intransigent.

Before the referendum Cameron asked for minor changes to UK membership, and was offered even less.

There should be another referendum, held in Southern Ireland, they voted to leave the EU years ago, but were forced to vote again because they made the wrong choice. At that time Parliament put pressure on Ireland to remain in. Now that the UK is leaving, the people of Ireland might well return to the original decision. It would solve the border problem.

Tony claims the Brexit side won on a campaign of lies. Not true, but OK Tony, you want a people’s vote on the outcome of negotiations, hoping to overturn the Leave result. Now I challenge you to tell the truth on what the EU will look like in the next few years.

How much will the UK’s membership fee be next year? We need to know before a vote.

What will you do when Juncker demands all EU members have to join the Euro? This will mean Brussels would control our Tax System. He has already said this will happen.

What will you do when Juncker demands that the UK hands over control of our Armed Forces to an EU army? He has stated that is being proposed.

Juncker says there will be a restriction of veto use in future. Already stated this will happen.

There are over a million refugees swanning around Europe. The UK will be forced to take our “share”, which, of course, means all that want to come here under free movement of people. Are you happy with that?

If we remain in now, one blessing will be that we won’t need a UK Parliament. That will save a few million pounds.

If we don’t take this chance to free the UK from the EU, they will walk all over us, in the sound knowledge that we will never be given a chance, whatever they throw at us.

Alan Spencer, Swindon

EU will not concede

I am delighted to note that former Thamesdown Council Leader Tony Mayer has used some statistics I provided in a previous letter, to support his view on the need for a second referendum.

Leaving aside his quite silly claim that the EU is a club for prosperous nations – it’s definitely not anything of the sort – he absurdly claims that politicians of the extreme right have been campaigning to leave the EU since 1975. I personally have never thought of Tony Benn, Neil Kinnock or Jeremy Corbyn as being ‘right wing’ but as Tony is a ‘left winger’ I defer to his greater knowledge.

Tony refers to the 1975 vote to remain in the Common Market when 65% of eligible voters took part, whereas in the 2016 referendum 72% of voters exercised their right to vote. That the majority in 1975 was different to that of 2016 is very interesting to the student of politics, but does nothing to diminish the result.

Of course the two campaigns exaggerated their own bias in the campaign but the voters were not fooled by the overstated doom and gloom of an economic tsunami or the claim that a social disaster of biblical Armageddon proportions would be the result of a Leave vote. We know that those predictions had no basis in fact and indeed the ‘terror’ they portrayed as occurring in the event of a leave vote (that is before we actually leave) has not materialised.

Tony, like many EU supporters, now wishes to have a vote on the ‘outcome of negotiations’ which in truth is a ploy to delay and then attempt to overturn the result of the 2016 referendum. What Tony misses in his exposition is an understanding of the mindset of the EU bureaucrats, in which they will concede nothing to the UK, seeking to ensure their beloved ideology of a federal Europe is maintained. Nothing, even if individual State economic chaos is the result, must or will be allowed to interrupt that aim.

Des Morgan, Caraway Drive, Swindon

No compromise

Conservative MP Anna Soubry is now saying that leaving the EU is impossible.

She is saying that MPs should apologise for offering a referendum on an issue that was impossible to deliver.

She is wrong. Leaving the EU would be very simple if only our MPs would vote for what the people were asked in the EU referendum.

The referendum result was a vote to leave the EU. We never asked the government to try to negotiate a half in half out compromise.

Steve Halden, Beaufort Green, Swindon

A grim vision

My first great-grandchild is is due very soon. When she/he arrives I shall say the right things to the parents and, when I can find my cheque book, I shall make a contribution to his/her start in life.

I see him/her in 20 years time, in a bunker, dressed in R AF blue and peering at a screen which will detect incoming nuclear missiles. She/he is chatting to his/her fellow servicemen and says, “I was born about the time Britain came out of the European Union. Did you know that there was about 40 years of peace whilst we were in the EU?”

I shall look down (or up) and say (they wont hear me, I know) “Dont blame me grandchild, I voted to remain.”

Phil Eagle, Swindon

No chance to exercise

Reading in the SA, 20% of year 6 pupils are obese - I wonder why. Perhaps it’s because the council or the government decided to sell off school playing fields for housing.

There are no school sports days, no PE lessons, so how are the kids of today supposed to keep fit? When I was at school we had swimming lessons, inter school sports days, football, cricket and rugby matches.

I think every School in Swindon has lost their playing fields now, so do not blame the diet of kids today, blame the government and local councils

Gary Darling, West Swindon

No value is added

A few years ago I bought a new car. I recently paid a solicitors bill for probat Two months ago I went up to Scotland to see relatives and my late wife’s relatives. I stayed in a hotel in Glasgow, I bought a cup of coffee in a cafe in George’s Square.

What has everything I have mentioned above got in common? One thing: the biggest rip off perpetrated on the British public since we were conned into the European Disunion, The Vast Amount of Take, commonly known as VAT. Even kids’ school clothes do not escape this financial octopus. A fifth of your money on everyday purchases to the government. What does the government do to earn this money? You tell me.

Now Hoarder Hammond is threatening to impose VAT on small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of this country. Has this man and his cohorts lost their senses?

This is the party that claims to support business and the free market. If the Conservatives don’t start to act like Conservatives, Comrade Corbyn may have an early Christmas.

Bill Williams, Merlin Way, Covingham, Swindon

A backwards step

In response to Jeff Adam’s letter complaining about the Royals getting an easy life for very little return. Yes, I absolutely agree that it’s sickening that these people have a life of luxury at our expense.

But introducing socialism into any country is a step backwards into hell. Can Mr Adams tell us of any country anywhere in any century on any continent where socialism has worked? No. He can’t.

All socialism does is starve and subjugate the population whilst making the leaders rich and powerful.

It’s unbelievable that in the 21st century with all the evidence available that some idiots still think socialism works.

Roger Lack, North Swindon