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Give Ireland a say

My reply to Don Reeve’s post (Nov.26) is that although Ireland originally voted to reject the Lisbon Treaty in 2008, which basically meant they had to leave the EU, the people were forced, with some pressure from the UK, to vote again and remain in.

Don suspects they would vote to stay in, Cameron suspected that the UK would vote remain. Surprise, surprise, what actually happened? With all the problems over hard border/no border, the people, not the government, might well decide to join us and vote to leave again too. That would solve the border problem. Give them a chance. Perhaps they would prefer a hardborder, in which case they will vote to stay in. Who knows?

The trouble is that too many people give their opinions over Brexit as facts; this is not right, they don’t know how things will pan out once we leave, it might be the best move the UK has ever made, not immediately perhaps, but it took less than 40 years to get us into this mess. In another 40 years our kids might wonder what all the fuss was about!

True Brexiteers should hold their nerve, this deal on offer is not the Brexit we voted for, it locks us into the EU until they say we can leave. With a 310 mile unmanned border in Ireland we do not have control over the freedom of movement, or control of our borders as May claims. With Northern Ireland remaining in the Customs Union, the European Court of Justice will still preside. That’s three very important “red lines” busted already. May is still bunging £39 billion at the EU on the promise that they will talk “trade” sometime in the future. I thought she said Brexit would see an end to the UK handing over huge sums of money to the EU.

The time will come when all President Juncker’s plans to the future EU will be forced on the member States. This is a fact, not supposition, Juncker has publicly stated this. The UK (I hope) will not agree to the Euro, EU army, loss of veto power, increased freedom of movement. Get fully out now while we have the chance. Remind your local MP that we voted to leave, with no caveats.

Alan Spencer, Swindon

There are alternatives

It’s not all doom and gloom, which was predicted by all the negative ‘it might happen’ letters and stories bandied about by the ‘if we leave the EU brigade’ - we will be going into total chaos, I hear you say. It looks like we will have total control over our waters, our borders, our laws, immigration and a free rein to trade with whoever we like. Just like the opportunity for a tariff-slashed deal with the likes of Japan, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam... the list goes on.

So my look on it is if it’s made in the EU and we import it from the EU and if the EU tries to hammer us with tariffs and carry on trying to bully us and that same product is or could be made by one of those countries, go there, get that product and cut out the EU. Who’s going to suffer in the long run?

The correct people can start negotiating in March. The people voted to leave. I really do hope our own local MPs back the PM. If not, the next election may well be telling a different story.

John L Crook, Haydon Wick, Swindon

Uncaring attitude

As the parent of a physically disabled son, long past his educational needs, I write to pose one question to all those councillors and members of Wiltshire Council, namely ‘what experience or qualifications do you all have of living with or caring for a disabled youngster?

I posed this same question to the officers from Leonard Cheshire Disability on the evening we were informed that they planned to evict our family members from the Greathouse at Kington Langley. Not one of those officials were able to say they had a family connection with disability and I would suggest that along with those making decisions about our three special schools all of them are totally unqualified to be involved with such an all-consuming decision.

The hurdles and problems we parents are having to deal with should at least be addressed by people who know, from experience, the difficulties we manage.

Baroness Scott, please show some leadership in this, it is so badly needed.

Anne Keat, Wiltshire