YP Letters: Vote to leave EU must be implemented

JOHN Turley (The Yorkshire Post, April 24) asks a number of questions of myself.

n The promise of more money for the NHS. this was never a promise, the leave campaign were not the Government and could not make any such promises.

n Only 37 per cent of the electorate voted for Brexit. This means only 33 per cent voted to remain, he cannot claim those who did not vote.

n If everyone voted who was entitled to vote, Remain would have won. This is assuming that most who did not vote would have voted Remain and is, of course, total nonsense.

n If they held another referendum tomorrow, Remain would win. This is another poll and is as likely to be as wrong as the rest.

n The hard Brexit may result in the breakdown of the Good Friday Agreement. This is total bunkum, the troubles in Ireland were going on while we were in the EU.

Whichever way Mr Turley looks at it, the Leave side won and this must be implemented.

From: Michael Meadowcroft, Former Liberal MP, Waterloo Lane, Leeds.

YOUR correspondent Robert Bottamley (The Yorkshire Post, April 20) makes the curious claim that a legal ruling is not valid unless it is publicised by all the media.

Referring to the ruling by the House of Commons Library that the referendum on membership of the European Union had only advisory status, Mr Bottamley states that “the contents of this briefing paper were never circulated beyond Members of Parliament”.

He is completely wrong and, in fact, such briefing papers are available to all members of the public via the internet.

Contrary to what Mr Bottamley believes, many of us who campaigned for Remain used this ruling in our arguments, and the fact that this was not widely picked up by the media is more of a comment on the media than on the campaigners – or indeed on the ruling. It is another facet of the problem of dealing with complex issues by the blunt instrument of a binary referendum.

In any case, whether shouted from the heights or just quietly noted, the ruling remains the ruling and the referendum remains advisory only.

From: David Gray, Liversedge.

RECENT letters have promoted the issue of the referendum being advisory. The laws approving the referendum may use certain words and definitions, but I refer back to the Governments booklet in which it states “this is your chance to decide your own future and the future of the United Kingdom”.

It also states: “This is your decision. The Government will implement what you decide.” There is no indication of ‘advisory’ in what the people were told they were voting on!

Too slow to right wrong

From: Mike Billany, Hedon.

THE Windrush scandal is just beyond belief. As one of the world’s oldest, well recognised and respected government powers, and one of the leading countries campaigning against worldwide wrongdoing and unfairness, our attitude to these people is slimly disgusting.

It took only days for our Government to join with the USA and France to undertake a military strike on Syria to take out their toxic gas plants to help protect innocent Syrian people at some millions’ cost.

Yet we have people invited to come to Britain after the Second World War to help rebuild our country, taking jobs from driving buses to joining our NHS. And some 50 or 60 years later we refuse them British nationality and a passport. Where are our priorities?

Under EU rules, anyone with a EU passport has freedom of movement within the EU, including known criminals, murderers, rapists and drug-dealers. These we must allow in to our country, but good hard-working people invited by us to help rebuild our country we choose to ignore and refuse them the nationality they justly deserve. Our PM, MPs, civil servants are supposedly well-educated, intelligent people, yet we find they are doing nothing quickly to rectify this gross error. They set up helplines and drag out the process.

All they need to do is set up a quick-response taskforce to get on the job and get it done in months not years, as I fear they will just pontificate.

As a British citizen, I am appalled, disgusted and very embarrassed that we are acting so slowly to right this wrong.

Theresa May, get your finger out and do the right thing for these well-deserving people.

Pupils being let down

From: Elisabeth Baker, Leeds.

LIKE The Yorkshire Post (April 26), I was horrified to learn that very many secondary-school pupils cannot tell the time by reading a clock face.

In my second year at school, when I was five or six, we were told that we should not be allowed to progress to the next year if we could not tell the time. Just as students are going to university without knowing the rudiments of English grammar or being able to spell, this further omission in the learning of today’s young people shows how badly they are let down by their schools and their parents in not ensuring that they acquire these “skills”. Maybe the parents and teachers also need to rely on digital timepieces?

Perfect choice for mayor

From: Erica Broughton, Tullibardine Road, Sheffield.

IAN Walker is the ideal choice for Sheffield City Region mayor.

Deeply rooted in Sheffield, he has a wonderful record of public service, thus making him the perfect candidate.

He is a kind and compassionate man, supported by his devoted family.