Sir, – I read with interest that former Prime Minister Tony Blair has made it his mission to persuade British people to think again on their democratic decision to leave the EU.
According to Mr Blair, his justification for attempting to overturn last year’s 52% referendum vote to leave is that the British people voted “without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit”.
Now, I dare say, that is right.
Neither the Leave nor Remain side knew what was meant by Brexit and all its details, as leaving was a step into the unknown.
However, I’m surprised Mr Blair, being the astute politician and diplomat he undoubtedly is, doesn’t realise that the leap of faith the British people have elected to take speaks volumes for the disgruntlement that exists with their current lot as an EU state.
After all the butter mountains, wine lakes, failed farming and fisheries policies, and now the EU’s ineptitude in coming up with solutions to the chronic immigration problem, the British people have quite simply decided they’ve had enough.
I also find it quite hypocritical that during Mr Blair’s decade in office, he and Gordon Brown were architects of the zero-hours contract, a policy that not only flew in the face of the EU Social Chapter but which challenged the very principles of workers’ rights – a notion Mr Blair claimed to cherish when he first stood on the doorstep of Downing Street.
Back in 1997, on that New Labour dawn, the song Things Can Only Get Better heralded an age of promise and improvement – or so we were led to believe.
Just as that political soundtrack didn’t live up to its lyrics, neither do I think that the initial Brexit tune we’ll all be dancing to will be music to everyone’s ears.
However, unlike the last 44 years of EU rules and regulations, once Brexit has been thrashed out, we’ll have it in our power to change the tune and adopt our own music to suit the mood swings of the country, and that I think is the point Mr Blair fails to grasp.
Jamie Buchan.
Grove Road,
Dundee.
An insult to our democracy
Sir, – So Tony Blair
has managed to tear himself away from his after-dinner speech circuit to insult the democratic process?
As a Leave voter I am outraged by Mr Blair’s latest ramblings urging the people of this country to rise up against Brexit.
It is absolutely disgraceful.
This shows he has no respect for the democratic will of the British people.
I seriously doubt he will have done any favours for the Remain side either.
His comments are nothing short of encouraging civil war.
Surely he is not in favour of promoting another unnecessary war?
I suspect the real reason he is angry is that the EU gravy train he and others like him rely on is going to be pulling out of the station.
Hopefully, the British people will ignore this rhetoric and accept the majority voted Leave and that means Leave.
Gordon Kennedy.
117 Simpson Square,
Perth.
Airlines will be APD winners
Sir, – So Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary meets with Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh to tell her he’ll introduce new routes to Scotland if she reduces or ultimately cuts Air Passenger Duty (APD).
APD is charged at £13 per person on short-haul flights. This is not insignificant, but is a fraction of what most spend on a holiday.
And why is Mr O’Leary so concerned?
He has a vested interest as he runs a commercial airline
and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But anyone who thinks this cut will automatically be passed on to passengers is naive.
Ryanair’s pricing policy, as those who’ve ever booked a Ryanair flight know, is far from transparent.
My suspicion is that in most instances, airlines such as Ryanair will merely take a greater share of the overall ticket price, meaning we and the government will both miss out.
Ms Sturgeon has yet to confirm what public services she intends to cut to fund
this environmentally-damaging initiative.
This may not concern airline owners, but it should be of interest to Scottish residents and taxpayers.
Martin Redfern.
4 Royal Circus,
Edinburgh.
Bridge tolls are a tax worth paying
Sir, – Having, as a
regular commuter, endured months of delays while state-of-the-art new tolls were erected at a cost of £1 million or so on the Forth Road Bridge, it struck me at the time as a populist pre-election bribe to see them dismantled no sooner than they were ready to go.
That drivers have saved only £2,000 each in the nine years since surprises me. It equates to about two cups of cafe coffee a week. Tolls from the 11 to 12 million average northbound vehicles would have brought in more than £100 million.
That is a voluntary tax I, for one, would have preferred to pay.
Hector Maclean.
Glenprosen,
Kirriemuir.
Decision on PR has been made
Sir, – With reference to the letter in Friday’s Courier from Mr Campbell-Roddis regarding proportional representation, I seem to recall that there has already been a national referendum on the subject.
This took place after the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg joined forces with the Conservatives under David Cameron to form a Government. There was a resounding no vote to the idea of any form of proportional representation.
As that referendum cost several millions of pounds – all paid for by the taxpayer– can I suggest that any party wishing to hold a
referendum on this subject pays for it out of its own funds?
Alfred Small.
8 Claypotts Terrace,
Dundee.
Holyrood should invest in rail link
Sir, – Watching
Holyrood parliamentary questions last week, I was unconvinced by the First Minister’s case for reducing Air Passenger Duty (APD), but then absolutely astounded at one main reason cited, that this would “cut the cost for families going on holiday”.
Air travel is already the cheapest mode around and boosting demand by cutting this duty will probably benefit tourist businesses in the Mediterranean rather than Scotland.
What happened to commitments to reduce carbon emissions?
More importantly, rather than subsidise air-travelling holidaymakers to spend their money abroad, where is the commitment to invest in connecting people within Scotland?
The fact that a large town like Levenmouth has no rail service, despite everything –including track and services – being in place, should surely be a more pressing priority.
Here’s a more rational suggestion that’s a much more sensible transport strategy from any angle: keep APD as it stands and invest it in reopening lines to Leven and other large places that are not presently connected.
James Robertson.
18 Casan,
Leven.
A minister who got sums wrong
Sir, – The recent edition of Question Time on BBC was the final straw as I listened to the Education Secretary for Scotland get his sums wrong. If indeed John Swinney cannot count, what hope is there for the education of
Scotland’s children?
I refer to the magic 62% of Scots who wish to remain in Europe, according to Mr Swinney, but as we know 55% of the electorate turned out to vote – so who voted to leave Europe?
In addition, the qualification for joining Europe is a budget deficit of 3% of GDP, and Scotland’s is more than 9% so how can we apply for membership?
I suspect the 62% refers not to all Scots but to the fraction of those who voted, which in fact means that only around 30% of Scots voted to Remain.
This is very different from information given by our ministers and confirmation
of the doubts we should have concerning news and information agencies.
Alan Bell.
Roods,
Kirriemuir.