Gazette and Herald 1 August 2019
Those who have recently written letters to the Gazette supporting attempts to stop Brexit need to think very carefully about whether they really believe in democracy.
In the June 2016 referendum a majority of the UK population voted leave.
In the June 2017 general election 83% of the UK population voted for the two main parties (Conservative and Labour) who promised to respect the result of the referendum.
In the May 2019 Euro elections the newly formed Brexit Party gained more votes than any other UK party.
Democracy means accepting the result of an election, not just when your side wins – but however the public vote. Anything less is treating voters with contempt. I didn’t vote for the Brexit Party – but I accept the result because I believe in democracy.
The suggestion by Devizes for EU that Claire Perry MP has betrayed the voters of Devizes by saying she would not vote against a no deal Brexit is in fact, almost the exact opposite of the truth. She, along with every other Conservative MP, was elected by us on the basis of a manifesto which made five very specific promises about Brexit:
1. We would try to negotiate a withdrawal agreement with the EU (no one can say we didn’t try!)
2. We will seek to negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement (The EU are refusing to even discuss this unless we agree to Northern Ireland being subject to the EU single market rules after Brexit and pay them £39 billion).
3. We are leaving the EU single market and customs union.
4. We are leaving the common fisheries policy.
5. And we will leave with or without a deal as “we continue to believe that no deal is better than a bad deal”.
Any Conservative MP who refused to positively vote for these very specific promises would be betraying the people who voted for them.
Dr Martin Parsons, Devizes
In the June 2016 referendum a majority of the UK population voted leave.
In the June 2017 general election 83% of the UK population voted for the two main parties (Conservative and Labour) who promised to respect the result of the referendum.
In the May 2019 Euro elections the newly formed Brexit Party gained more votes than any other UK party.
Democracy means accepting the result of an election, not just when your side wins – but however the public vote. Anything less is treating voters with contempt. I didn’t vote for the Brexit Party – but I accept the result because I believe in democracy.
The suggestion by Devizes for EU that Claire Perry MP has betrayed the voters of Devizes by saying she would not vote against a no deal Brexit is in fact, almost the exact opposite of the truth. She, along with every other Conservative MP, was elected by us on the basis of a manifesto which made five very specific promises about Brexit:
1. We would try to negotiate a withdrawal agreement with the EU (no one can say we didn’t try!)
2. We will seek to negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement (The EU are refusing to even discuss this unless we agree to Northern Ireland being subject to the EU single market rules after Brexit and pay them £39 billion).
3. We are leaving the EU single market and customs union.
4. We are leaving the common fisheries policy.
5. And we will leave with or without a deal as “we continue to believe that no deal is better than a bad deal”.
Any Conservative MP who refused to positively vote for these very specific promises would be betraying the people who voted for them.
Dr Martin Parsons, Devizes