Bills, Blair and bureaucracy

Prime Minister May’s uncompromising direction towards triggering Article 50, claiming she is duty bound to carry out the ‘will of the people’, totally disregards the changing mood of the people.
What Tony Blair is saying is absolutely correct and the electorate has become very much better informed and wiser to the seriously negative consequences now becoming obvious if we leave the EU.
For Iain Duncan-Smith to make the claim that Blair is out of touch is a nonsense because it is Theresa May’s government that refuses to keep in touch with reality and is bent on tipping the UK into the abyss.
Moreover, the media, including the BBC, remain pro-Brexit biased. But the mood of the people must surely be changing now that they have realised leaving the EU is seriously damaging to their standard of living.
I am not aware of any opinion polls since the Referendum vote, but I am certain that if one were to take place today, and one should, a large majority of the now very much wiser UK electorate would vote to stay within the EU rather than suffer the dire cosequencies that are already starting to take effect. Back Blair and it could stop Brexit happening.

J DUNKERLEY, Indre-et-Loire

How refreshing to hear that Tony Blair is demanding that those who wish to remain in Europe should have another chance to vote against Brexit.
Could this be the same Tony Blair that refused to allow us to vote on the Lisbon Treaty (unlike France)? The same Tony Blair that refused a referendum on EU membership?

Bob SEAGER, Deux-Sèvres

Securing current rights to the UK funded pensions and healthcare rights of UK nationals living in the EU is in the government’s gift and assurances could be given in the “Article 50 Bill” but so far May and Davis are both on record as wanting to “bargain” with these rights. But these rights are already covered by separate bilateral treaties that should not be part of the “Brexit” negotiation. These arrangements existed before UK membership of the EU and should continue after.
By voting through the bill without amendments covering these rights, which are normally accorded to UK nationals, Parliament will be handing May the power to change these and other rights without reference to Parliament or the people.
It’s all based on demagogue-ary that would normally be abhorrent to a free people. Why are we giving May powers normally accorded to tyrants?

Martin STYLES, Charente-Maritime

The proposed amendment by the Lords securing the future of EU citizens in the UK will weaken the bargaining position for all UK nationals living in the EU if not thrown out by the lower house.
In the ideal world it should be a given that EU citizens already living and working in the UK will retain the right to stay, however the EU is not governed by gentlemen and
the EU certainly does not play by the same rules as the UK. Wake up!

John COLE, Haut-Var

RE: Ready to pay price of vote by Douglas Johnston, Letters March edition. I voted out as well because of the lies perpetuated by David Cameron – it had nothing to do with the economy as he made out.
As Mr Johnston quite rightly said they [the EU] are a vindictive bureaucracy with grandiose ideas wanting to turn the whole of Europe into a United States of Europe. Who wants that? Nobody in the Czech Republic wants to be mistaken for a Slovak and the other way round. But the aim of the EU is to remove all identity from every country.
Nor is it known that all those who ever worked for the EU are sitting on a pension pot of €83,000. No wonder the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.
I feel like Mr Johnston does, if it means I have a price to pay for REMAINING British for the rest of my life, so be it.

Alison FRASER, Dordogne

ON THE 4th of May there will be local elections in many parts of the UK. Typically, local elections do not have a big turnout so a small swing in voting could have a big impact.
Our MPs are not listening to us – how many stood up in Parliament and said “Brexit is bad, but I back triggering Article 50”?
So we need to demonstrate the will of the people has changed and we need to focus their minds. MPs of all persuasions are selected by their local party and local parties are influenced by councillors.
If we unseat Sir Tim-Nice-but-Dim from the ward of Dunny-on-the-Wold, a council seat he has held for the last 40 years, he is not going to be happy and Greg Spineless, MP for the ward, is going to be off Sir Tim’s Christmas card list.
Additionally we know that the party in power suffers at local election time. We would like to decimate the Tory party on the 4th May.
EU citizens resident in the UK are allowed to vote in local elections. Many may not realise this so we need to raise awareness, then encourage them to register and vote for pro-EU candidates, as well as encouraging young people to register.
I know a few youngsters and EU nationals resident in Britain and I’m sure others do too, or they have friends in Britain who do. Please help to spread the word and mobilise opposition to Brexit.
Marian THORNLEY, Pyrénées-Orientales