YP Letters: Sense of pride in our nation sorely needed

THE childish behaviour over the EU referendum makes me wonder whether either side is fit to govern us. Amongst all the insults, one relevant point has been totally overlooked: pride in our country.

Whoever wins, in my opinion, should ask David Davis, MP for Haltemprice and Howden, to head the board of GB plc, as he’s one of the few MPs who has served his country in the Armed Forces. He has also had a responsible job in the cut and thrust of the business world and has actually resigned as an MP on a principle, had a by-election and got re-elected with a bigger majority. You can see why David Cameron sacked him from the front bench... they had nothing in common.

From: David Holmes, Clint, Harrogate.

IRRESPECTIVE of the outcome, neither side is going to be a long term winner.

If we vote to remain, we keep all the inherent problems of a higher power with supremacy over us, uncontrolled immigration, higher costs and ever closer union.

If we vote to leave, we destroy the great prize of the sovereign states of Europe being a united force for good; sharing free trade, counter balancing the other major global power blocks and engendering peace and prosperity at home and throughout the world.

Boris Johnson wrote: “This chance will not come again in our lifetimes.” My question to him, and the Prime Minister, is why on earth not?

Our national interest is far better served by a root and branch reform of the institution of the EU. There is now a growing appetite for this across Europe.

We should hold a second referendum, with all the facts on the table, just prior to the dissolution of this Parliament, when the new deal will be so good it will be no contest.

From: David Cragg-James, Stonegrave, York.

IMMIGRATION is a good thing, and our society benefits immeasurably from the presence of strangers in our midst.

They are here, or are coming, receptive to our welcome and unlikely either to experience a dramatic increase or decrease numerically as a result solely of our decision to act in solidarity with Europe or alone.

What does risk overwhelming our society’s ability to absorb large numbers of newcomers is not the choice made yesterday, but the decision taken in Northallerton on May 23 to further the development of a new UK fossil fuel industry.

Can anyone doubt that such proliferation would imperil our commitment to curb greenhouse gases, send the wrong message to the world concerning our intentions and thereby, directly and indirectly, contribute to global warming? This in turn will unleash migratory forces which threaten not just the UK, but our very planet and humanity.

From: Peter Lewis, Giles Street, Netherthong, Holmfirth.

AS confirmed last Friday afternoon in Leeds by the responsible junior government Minister (a pro-Brexit MP as it happens), who could spare barely 25 minutes of their valuable time to talk at local leaders in an important four- hour HM Government summit on “Building the Northern Powerhouse”, there appears to be a very clever but ultimately potentially divisive political trend emerging from Westminster: “Post-enfranchisement abrogation”.

Briefly it runs like this: “Don’t ask us what we the elected power have done for you the electorate: we’ll simply devolve all that back, out, down and away from the centre.”

Recent examples include floods management, strategic steel manufacturing, security of adequate competitive electric power generation, railways investment, Heathrow Airport expansion, Huddersfield’s A&E provision etc. Yet they had the time to devote the last four months to the EU referendum, which at most applies to only about one per cent (net) or two per cent (gross) of the Government’s annual expenditure.

From: Gordon Lawrence, Stumperlowe View, Sheffield.

EUROPE is the story of individual achievement, freedom and voluntary collaboration. But the EU is a bureaucratic monstrosity, unelected, self-serving with an unswerving ambition to create a Europe that is the fear of almost the whole spectrum of British political opinion including nearly all the Remain agitators. And as for reforming it from the inside, it never happens. Look at Cameron’s attempt to change things. Zilch, even when holding the trump card of exit.

From: Peter Broadley, Greetland, Halifax.

AM I supposed to be impresse that David Beckham and the Premier League are in favour of staying in the EU? Not sure why, other than providing expensive entertainment, by teams with a majority of EU and other foreign players. Little wonder England can’t produce a half-decent international side.

From: David West, Filey.

IT would have been nice if there had been a debate between non-politicians, such as the historian Niall Ferguson for example who could argue the points without it descending into personal attacks.

From: Brian Black, Beverley.

NOW that the anti-European isolationists feel they are not winning the economic argument, they are using xenophobia and racism to try and engender a fear of foreigners to influence people into voting for separation. This is the tactic used throughout recent history by the far-right.

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

WE were once a small country with a big empire and now we are a small country in a big and growing empire. We shall become smaller and smaller as the EU empire grows.

Editor’s note: Letters on the EU were submitted, and sent to press, prior to the referendum result being known.