Sir, – Dr Kevin T Ryan is wrong when he asserts that David Cameron offered the UK electorate a choice between membership of the EU and "something else" (February 20th). The precise words on the ballot paper were "Should the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU?" Are europhile contributors to your letters page suffering some kind of collective amnesia that they need frequent reminding of this?
On June 23rd, the UK’s electorate knew full well that the finer details of withdrawal would still have to be negotiated – it was, after all, pointed out to them on a daily basis by the Remain campaign – and they still voted to Leave.
Dr Ryan also states that a “slim majority” voted for the “something else”. The closeness of the result is irrelevant. We Irish voted to allow divorce and to retain Seanad Éireann by far narrower margins. Is he calling for a rerun of those ballots too?
I wonder how many contributors to your letters page have actually spent time in a country that’s already left the EU. I’ve done just that, and it was an eye-opener. Prior to their own in/out referendum, Greenlanders were warned by Remain campaigners that leaving “would be very bad for Greenland” that their “economy would collapse”, that “prices would go up and it would be almost impossible to live here”. Today Greenlanders are very glad they voted to Leave (by 53 per cent to 47), just as I suspect our next-door neighbours will be some years hence. – Yours, etc,
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RONAN SCANLAN
Leopardstown, Dublin 18.
Sir, – Tony Blair says he is concerned about the possibility of the break-up of the United Kingdom. I wonder does the possibility of the break-up of Iraq trouble him at all? – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN O’BRIEN,
London.
Sir, – At last we have a voice of reason in the Brexit debate. Tony Blair’s intervention is timely, relevant, and absolutely correct. Time will tell whether he still commands the respect and confidence of the British public but his message is the first real suggestion that Britain needs a reality check as to what it is about to inflict on its electorate after a flawed referendum and no understanding of the outcome of negotiations to leave. – Yours, etc,
DEREK MacHUGH,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.