Sir, – We may cavil with the timing and tone of Tony Blair’s sudden intervention in the Brexit debate but what he says has a compelling logic.
The biggest of many errors that David Cameron made was to offer the electorate a choice between membership of the EU and “something else”.
A slim majority voted for “something else” but what they expected to get varies widely, a fact that will become increasingly evident as the terms of exit are clarified. It is highly unlikely that more than a fraction of the 52 per cent will be satisfied with what is negotiated and at least 2 per cent of them will consider the terms worse than staying in the EU. Hence we will have the anti-democratic result where, given the terms of exit, a majority would prefer to remain in the EU but their voice will not be heard. It is worth considering what would happen if we had a referendum in Ireland asking whether people wanted to abolish income tax and replace it with “something else”. Such a proposal could easily win, resulting in a change that did not have the support of the majority of the electorate. – Yours, etc,
Dr KEVIN T RYAN,
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Limerick.
Sir, – Tony Blair keeps turning up like the proverbial bad penny! God help us all. Is Brexit has main concern, or has he an ulterior motive? Defeat Brexit and I strongly suspect he will walk on water across the English Channel to become president of Europe. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GM KENNY,
Stratford-upon-Avon,
England.
Sir, – I haven’t been as unconvinced by Tony Blair since he decided it was a good idea to invade Iraq. – Yours, etc,
MARY BYRNE,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.