Wake up Britain – it's time to think again on Brexit

Undoubtedly some of the population believed that leaving the EU would be like throwing a switch. But instead of recovering £350m a month (as promised by some) the separation process is proving incredibly complex and costly. The work to incorporate 40,000 laws into the British legal system, to unravel agreements which have regulated our trading relationship with the EU for 40 years, has necessitated the employment of highly paid specialist consultants and negotiators. The cost of the work, the consultants and their salaries will run into millions of pounds – money which could be used to help in much needed areas such as the NHS, social care for the elderly and public sector pay.

Major projects like Euratom and the European Airbus are being put into jeopardy and the financial sector which is the major contributor to our GDP is under pressure to re-site some of its operations into Europe. Far from creating thousands of jobs, leaving the EU is putting thousands of jobs at risk. There is also the vexed question of the Irish border to be resolved.

It is already clear that the devaluation of the pound against other currencies before and after the referendum is giving rise to increases in inflation which is now outstripping wage rises.

And where are the protagonists of the leave campaign? Mostly they have been shown up for what they were – political opportunists seeking power by whatever means who have been discredited and/or disappeared off the scene altogether. Teresa May’s decision to hold a snap election in order strengthen her hold on power was calamitous and has had the reverse effect and we are now faced with the unedifying spectacle of senior members of the cabinet plotting her downfall. In short Britain’s future is being shaped by a lame-duck, lacklustre leader surrounded by a poor quality team whose members are fuelled by personal ambition.

Is this what we voted for? Is there an alternative?

There are a few dedicated people who have displayed the necessary leadership skills to reverse the current situation before it becomes a crisis – for example David Miliband, Caroline Lucas, Ruth Davidson, Vince Cable, Nicola Sturgeon, Michael Heseltine and others. They are all passionate pro-Europeans who would be capable of working with President Macron and Chancellor Merkel to reform the European Administration and make it more efficient.

There is growing evidence from recent soundings that the “will of the people” has changed.

Yes, the only serious alternative to the current chaos and ten years of turmoil is a SECOND REFERENDUM.

John Robinson
Keswick

It is not just the young left who are worried about the future

It is not just the young who worry about unaffordable housing – for both the young and those that do the jobs that make life more tolerable and pleasant for all.

It is not just the young who have concerns about utility and rail companies being run by hedge funds and foreign companies with little interest in the end consumer. Definitely the unacceptable face of capitalism.

It is not just the young who worry about the cost of higher education. Most will probably not end up repaying the cost, making both the initial cost and the high interest rates irrelevant. But the ability to pay will be used when assessing how much a person can afford to borrow. Rightly so. Many, if not most, graduates will not be able to borrow enough to buy a house and will continue to subsidise the mortgages of the older, luckier ones – if they can afford the rents.

I am 59. I am not a socialist. But society does seem to be broken. Will Jeremy Corbyn repair it? I have my doubts. Theresa May definitely will not. I have no doubt about that!

Philip Pound
Sydenham

The way we treat our NHS nurses is deplorable

My granddaughter is a newly qualified paediatric nurse. She works 12-hour shifts, including a one-hour lunch break. This week she was told to go to the surgical ward as they were short staffed. She worked 12 hours without a break as there was no one to relieve her. She had nothing to eat in those 12 hours. She had breakfast before leaving home for 7am. When she returned home she phoned her mother and apologised for being in tears. She was totally exhausted having worked all day without food. The following day promised to be the same.

I have never understood why we expect nurses to work 12-hour shifts. It is essential they stay alert and I do not see how this is possible. My granddaughter explained that research had shown most mistakes occurred on change over. Reducing the time of changeover is not the answer. Research should be done into the mistakes and ways to remedy them.

Less than 50 per cent of would-be nurses get accepted on courses, yet we have known for years that there has been a major shortage requiring the use of agency nurses to fill the gaps, at great expense. We are now being told that we shall have enough trained nurses in 2020. What happens in the interim!?

We are also told that patients are suffering due to this shortage. I despair at the lack of foresight, intelligence and ordinary common sense, displayed by the politicians and executives in charge of the NHS. In the meantime, the staff have to suffer. On the BBC this morning we heard that nurses are getting home too exhausted to look after their own children. Is there anyone that has the power and the brains to make some necessary major changes?

Ann Harris
Corsham

Remainers need to stick together

Is there no way that all the Remain campaign groups can get together and pool their resources? The movement will never, in the time available to it, arrive at the critical mass required to achieve its objective. Were they to pool the contributions they currently receive in order to build their individual organisations and networks, they would have more to spend on publicity as well as potentially paying less for it and eliminating duplication of effort. Indeed, the Liberal Democrats, although not at this time a serious contender for government office, already have already made wide coverage, organisation which could be shared pro tem with the other combined groups perhaps as a discrete project. Come on guys – surely you can sort something out between you?

Michael du Pré
Marlow

We must stand up to this Government’s actions

I laud The Independent for championing the cause of the needy and giving a voice for those who are voiceless. It is time to address social injustices, systemic poverty and health disparities in a human rights context. Sadly, this Government has taken great strides towards aggravating these societal ills and stalling social mobility. Just look in the mirror and see how people are becoming increasingly entrapped in a cocoon of family breakdown, debt, addiction, mental health problems, drugs, resentment, overcrowded schools, housing shortages, child poverty, homelessness, food banks, low wages, high taxes and benefits curtailment.

The Government is doing all it could to tax the poor and enrich the rich and wealthy in society and more importantly to distract public attention from its failure to negotiate a fair deal in Brexit talks. It is within our grasp to reverse this and elect a Labour government that cares for all, not only the few.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob
London NW2

Uber and disability

The contribution to the Uber debate of letters correspondents representing the disabled experience makes interesting reading. It also seems to indicate how far we’ve regressed as a society. Back in 1982 London’s Labour GLC introduced subsidised taxi travel for the disabled as a right. We now seem to have a situation where they count themselves lucky if they can rely on sweatshop employment practices for mobility.

Gavin Lewis
Manchester