'I will never vote for such a party that blatantly pushes aside my wishes'

Having read the letter from Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Exiting the European Union, I felt incensed enough to respond.
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My initial reaction to his letter was one of “here we go again”. He belongs to a Party that clearly only represents those people who voted to remain in the European Union (EU). Why else would he rabbit on about the effect of a poor deal with the EU (or a NO deal) having a negative consequence for our Financial Services Sector?

Whilst I accept that we don’t really know what will happen to this country when we divorce from the EU, I am prepared to concede that in the short term our future outside of the EU is uncertain. However, it seems I have far more faith in the abilities of this country than he and his Party has. And this is my one gripe at all the people like Mr Brake who are all doom and gloom merchants and who, two years on, can’t accept the result of the EU referendum. All this bickering and negativity over the result has played right into the hands of the EU negotiators, who from day one have steadfastly refused to budge on anything that would affect the prime directives of their precious EU. It takes two parties to agree a settlement and in my view the EU has been intransigent throughout the whole process. Listening to Michel Barnier is like listening to a robot. Already he’s on the defensive saying that the UK shouldn’t blame the EU if there is a NO deal. Mr Barnier, I wasn’t aware that we were negotiating with anyone else so who else do we blame for EU intransigence?

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Tom Brake says the Liberal Democrats are committed to giving “the people” – not politicians – the final say on the Brexit deal, including the option to remain in the EU. And there we have it again. Why is there an option to remain in the EU? We’ve had that referendum and “the people” voted to leave. What he means by the term “the people” are those who voted to remain but can’t accept the decision. I hope the Government sticks to its guns in ensuring the idea of another vote on whether we stay in the EU is dead in the water. I for one didn’t vote for this Government but would be prepared to let them get on with it and not go cap in hand to the country on a final deal. After all, as an individual did I get a vote on agreeing to all the EU Treaty changes that morphed our EEC trade only deal into one where the UK is part of a European Super State?

I am prepared for a NO deal as a last resort. Tom Brake should level any criticism in not meeting the two year timescale squarely at the EU. It has proved difficult for us as we are the first country to have triggered Article 50, and it is my opinion that the two year timescale for leaving the EU is totally inadequate to settle such a complicated divorce settlement.

It will not be a surprise to readers for me to admit that I voted to leave the EU. Most of the arguments and the negativity surrounding our leaving seem to concentrate on business and economic reasons. Whilst these are important, I voted to leave for other reasons. The Establishment, by that I mean the many MP’s like Mr Brake, the Bank of England, the CBI and other financial institutions, drove the remain campaign through fear mongering and two years on they’re all still at it. In my opinion, we need to move on, accept that the UK is leaving the EU, get the best deal we can and be prepared for a NO vote if it comes to that.

Finally, a bit of advice for Tom Brake. In future, when you sign your letters, please be honest about your party’s intentions and add “ Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Remaining in the European Union (and ignoring the wishes of over 17 million people who voted otherwise)”. That would be nearer the truth but I forgot that in future some of those voters you hope will be voting for your party. I can tell you that I will never vote for such a party that blatantly pushes aside my wishes!

RA Cundy

Waterthorpe