YP Letters: Election result does not add up to a demand for soft Brexit

TOM Richmond suggested that, by the way we voted recently, it could be argued that we wanted a softer Brexit (The Yorkshire Post, June 17).

Election manifestos always cover a number of issues and it is wrong to extrapolate these to a single one and decide that is what people voted for. Surely, many people vote for their constituency MP and others vote for the leader – or against the leader they dislike most?

Since the Conservatives increased their total votes and Jeremy Corbyn vowed to stay with the referendum result, honouring Brexit, it could be easier to suggest we voted for a hard Brexit.

I would suggest that the reason for Labour’s ‘victory that wasn’t a victory’ had more to do with other factors: Theresa May threw away a huge lead by being over-confident and expecting her elderly supporters to put up with a ‘dementia tax’ along with a reduction in pensions.

The people who wanted a softer Brexit would surely have voted Lib Dem, because a soft Brexit is really a non-Brexit.

I am surprised that more young people didn’t vote for Tim Farron, following his promise of a second referendum – along with legal marijuana.

I hope that Theresa May finds the strength to keep going through these difficult times because, as Huddersfield’s Harold Wilson famously 
said: “A week is a long time in politics.”

History could show that Mrs May was a far better Prime Minister than many are giving her credit for at present.

From: Bill Adams, Regional Secretary, Trades Union Congress, Yorkshire & the Humber Region.

TOM Richmond notes that it took Theresa May six days to replace the Northern Powerhouse Minister after his resignation, and that it is still not a Cabinet post.

With devolution so far down the agenda, how can we expect the Government to get to grips with the complex nuances of the different regions of the North and our diverse needs?

Governance in Manchester cannot be replicated across Yorkshire. We need tailor-made solutions.

But devolution is now at a standstill. This proves the point that we desperately need to decentralise Government in the UK. It is irresponsible for Downing Street to cling onto powers that should belong to the regions, when it has neither the capacity nor the gumption to govern.