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May’s deal is all wrong

Your writer Tony Mayer is wrong to suggest that leaving the EU without a ‘deal’ would be catastrophic (SA, Feb 21). The EU political construct is far from perfect and has not brought unbridled prosperity to the countries which form its whole.

Look at Greece, Italy and others – Germany has only just avoided ‘recession’ and in many EU states unemployment levels are at an all-time high, especially among the young.

Mrs May’s ‘deal’ is unacceptable on many fronts, not least the fact that the EU would still ‘call the shots’ – but Tony’s suggestion that there is a third way, which is to remain in the EU is simply to tear up the ‘rule book’ and ignore the vote of 17 million people who voted ‘Leave’.

I am sure the EU would welcome us back – after all the UK’s annual subscription of £8bn is not to be sneezed at, and yet we don’t know what the re-entry terms would be, but I think it safe to assume that the Thatcher rebate will be a thing of the past.

I also imagine a situation where the EU’s terms for allowing the UK to change its mind might involve an acceptance of the country having to join the Euro currency mechanism which we all know would lead to the ultimate subjugation of a sovereign state into a ‘prefecture’ of the Brussels bureaucrats.

Many countries trade with the EU on WTO terms. Those terms are not onerous and we as country would function very well without being an integral part of the EU, indeed I would bet my pension that the nations of the EU will continue to buy and sell in a reformed market place.

The financial woes of 2008 produced far worse effects in the economy of the UK than even the worst case scenario of leaving the EU as painted by the most avid of Remainers. We came through that experience, scarred and bruised – but not beaten! Tony concludes that the only way forward is yet another referendum – that is going backward – the decision was made in 2016.

Des Morgan, Caraway Drive, Swindon

Brexit, ships and rats

Once again Bill Williams overlooks the contribution of the USSR to the defeat of Germany and its allies in 1945 (We’re a proud nation, February 11).

Whatever we think of the USSR then and Russia now, we should never forget that they probably lost more people in the 1939-45 war than the rest of the allies put together.

Unlike Bill I voted remain in the referendum because I thought leaving the EU might put too many jobs at risk, although, being in my late eighties, I don’t think it will have a great impact on me either way.

However, I believe that the Germans and the Japanese, who the Allies also defeated, are not manufacturing their cars here because they hold us in great esteem, but merely because it gives them easy access to the EU.

There’s possibly not much love lost even between the UK and many of the Indian population. India, of course, also makes cars here as well as running our steel industry. After all, they didn’t want us in their country to start with, but were only able to push us out after two world wars had left Britain impoverished.

Anyway, back to Brexit. The financial press reports that Jacob Rees-Mogg, one of the prime advocates of leave, has moved the base of his hedge fund business to Belfast, so that it will remain in the EU whatever the outcome of the negotiations. Merrill Lynch is also moving to Paris and Dublin, but that’s an American bank anyway. However, I would have expected Rees-Mogg to remain here. It brings to mind sinking ships and rats.

Don Reeve, Horder Mews, Old Town