YP Letters: Government must reassure EU migrants

IT is 10 days since Britain voted to leave the European Union and – guess what? – the sky has not fallen.

The stock market is recovering, the pound is starting to bounce back and there is no indication of any need for George Osborne’s threatened emergency budget.

Another threat, that France would scrap its border agreement with Britain, has been ruled out by Francois Hollande. Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has been given short shrift by Brussels on her plans for an independent Scotland to stay in the EU.

And already, even before the negotiations start, the first faint outlines of an eventual deal on trade and immigration are revealing themselves.

But, of course, there is likely to be turbulence still ahead and, with this in mind, there are two actions the Government should take immediately.

First, to reassure those EU migrants already here that they are safe and welcome, it should be announced that all EU citizens who were living in Britain on June 23 will be offered permanent residence.

And second, to show the world that Britain is open for business and committed to economic growth, corporation tax should be lowered to the Irish level of 12.5 per cent.

Stuff their mouths with 
gold and it is likely that all
talk of businesses moving
their headquarters out of Britain will, suddenly and mysteriously, cease.

From: Martyn Scargill, Chantry Meadows, Kilham.

I READ with abhorrence the disgraceful and ignorant remarks of Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough (The Yorkshire Post, June 25).

He said his area had voted 
for Remain owing to its “vibrancy, educated electorate and an international mix of businesses”.

If a “member of the public” had said this, there would 
be a real hue and cry of indignation.

It is downright thoughtless and distasteful to make such a comment as though we Brexit voters are some sort of uneducated peasantry.

This is just typical of the arrogance of some people in high office who evidently feel that no one outside of their little realm has any intelligence or qualifications.

From: David Collins, Scissett.

ACCORDING to John Kellett’s letter (The Yorkshire Post, June 28), the Remain voters are “well-educated and caring citizens” while “sharing their prosperity with Europe and the world”. It’s a pity they didn’t share their prosperity with their local neighbours, with 10 million in the UK on the near poverty line.

If less time had been spent by some in overpaying themselves and then using avoidance or evasion when it came to paying taxes, then so much resentment of the Establishment would not have built up.

From: Susan Dennis, Ripon.

WHEN Michael Gove was itemising Boris Johnson’s inadequacies – lack of leadership and team building skills – he forgot to mention Boris’s lack of understanding of basic arithmetic. Perhaps he has now realised that there never was £350m a week which cannot therefore by divided between the NHS, and the farmers, and all the EU funded development projects throughout the UK.

Boris also failed to understand that the EU will certainly impose a cost on us, if we wish to retain access to the single market. We will have very little leverage to ‘negotiate’ on this, as we are the ones who are leaving – have you ever resigned from a job and tried to negotiate your severance deal?

We do not know what that cost will be – perhaps when we do, the nation should be asked if they wish to pay it.

From: Mrs C Todd, Bewholme, Driffield.

AFTER reading Tom Richmond’s column (The Yorkshire Post, June 28), I would like to put in a few words in defence of both our Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

To describe David Cameron as “the lamest of lame duck PMs” is simply unfair.

He was successful as leader of the Conservative Party for two successive elections and with the good sense and expertise of George Osborne has led our country out of recession into a position of improving and sound economy.

Like many other Conservatives who voted for Remain, I was shocked and dismayed at the number of our members who decided to ally with Nigel Farage of Ukip and his unlikely bedfellow, Boris Johnson. I was brought up to be loyal to my country, my party and my family but that now seems to be an out of date idea.

From: Alan Machin, Bawtry Road, Doncaster.

IT is reported that Nicola Sturgeon wants Scotland to stay in the EU. She appears to detest the UK Parliament, stating a wish to be independent, but also wishes to be subject to the rules of a supranational state. Is she crazy or does she think they will be better off financially?

I do hope that if Scotland leave the Union, they will not meet the criteria for overseas aid.

From: Paul Brown, Bents Green Road, Sheffield.

OUR Prime Minister is an honest man. He made a genuine attempt to encourage our European neighbours in Brussels and other capital cities to face up to problems relating to the economy, immigration and security. The heads of various governments across the continent replied that they were out to lunch and far too busy to discuss anything of the sort. This is the simple reason why we ended up voting to leave the European Union.

From: Barrie Crowther, Walton, Wakefield.

WHY is it we cannot revert back to to the 1975 Common Market trade agreements? Presumably these have been ongoing since their induction.

Where is the problem?