Despite the numbers, the People's Vote march could have better represented Remainers

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Sunday 24 June 2018 20:01 BST
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People’s March for a People’s Vote on Brexit takes over London

On Saturday, in my 78th year, I went on my first ever political demo, the pro-Remain march. It was relaxed and good-humoured, and impressive if not spectacular in its turnout. But it was rather poorly organised on the day, as has been the whole of the Remain movement.

The presentations in Parliament Square were enthusiastically populist but again rather amateurish, and the left of centre speakers were strong on sentiment but with little advice as to how we can convince the apathetic and the doubters about why Brexit would be such a disaster, although Caroline Lucas and Tony Robinson spoke with passion and conviction and Robinson was notably critical of Jeremy Corbyn.

But where were Tory Remainers; Grieve, Clarke, and Soubry, or the business leaders who know better than most what dangers would lie ahead for the British economy and the consequent impoverishment for all our citizens apart from the super-rich?

Yes there was passion and patriotism in the air, but sentiment and gut feeling rather than objective, rational thought have been what has driven the Brexit vote, and Remain has to do much better than that.

Even though few of us knew the full ramifications of the financial downsides of Brexit at the time of the referendum, many of the original predictions, laughed-off as Project Fear, have already been fulfilled (the devaluation of the pound, inflation through the rising cost of imports, the NHS and many important business suffering with the loss of EU staff, a stalling of foreign business investment in the UK, etc). Even the sporadic and increasingly more urgent warnings from industry don’t seem to have been coordinated with a well-focused Remain campaign.

Wavering Brexiteers, the don’t knows, and the apathetic need a much more punchy, coherent and fact-driven campaign to alert them to the real dangers of Brexit both for the country and for each of them individually. And all those Remain MPs need to come off the fence, and to stop playing silly party political games and mouthing platitudes about the will of the people.

Are party loyalties and individual MPs’ majorities really more important than the future prosperity of our country? And if the people were poorly briefed, should they not have the opportunity to change their minds? We must have no excuse after the disasters that Brexit will bring to say “no one told us” or “we did not understand the full implications”.

This amiable march with its narrowly chosen and unrepresentative speakers was a hugely missed opportunity to finally start getting the Remain message across, given all that we now know.

Gavin Turner
Norfolk

The will of the people

I’m writing this at the 100,000 strong People’s Vote demonstration in Parliament Square. Gina Miller, Vince Cable and Caroline Lucas (who was superb) have just spoken.

Tony Robinson has a cunning plan. It’s the same plan that David Lammy, Peter Tatchell and Anna Soubry have just this minute called for. It’s called a People’s Vote. Your paper will report on the event fully, I’m sure. All I want to say is that with these numbers and the palpable sense of solidarity, if this isn’t the will of the people, my goodness, I really don’t know what is.

Patrick Cosgrove
Shropshire

For the first time ever I find myself agreeing with Liam Fox, whom you quote as saying: “This ultimately has to be about an economic and a people’s Brexit.”

Of course. That is why it is essential that another referendum be held to give the people a final say on the economic terms of whatever Brexit deal Theresa May brings back from Brussels.

D Maughan Brown
York

Voters are unlikely to have a change of heart

Your editorial on Airbus’s statement regarding UK investment, and the probable similar thoughts of other multinational manufacturers, whilst timely and important, highlights issues that are unlikely to change opinions or outcomes much.

Of the Leave voters, between those who don’t believe the “threats”, those who think everything will be all right in the end, and those who really believe any price is worth paying, I can’t see public opinion changing enough to influence either the government or, sadly, Jeremy Corbyn.

David Wallis
Cirencester

Cyclists are to blame for unsafe roads too

As a pedestrian in Exeter, Devon, I have seen so many cyclists going through red traffic lights and riding on pavements and have myself been nearly run down by cyclists. It’s about time this government brought into law that cyclists should have insurance.

As a former heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver, the amount of times I have seen cyclists on the inside of my truck with no hi-vis jackets on and no lights on in darkness is high.

Come on, don’t keep blaming the motorists.

J Westcott
Exeter

Time to demote Boris

Following the foreign secretary’s latest attack on the PM and his disdain for businesses that provide employment and tax revenues, surely the time has come for him to be sacked. Please May, show some self-respect. Boris is acting like a backbencher. Just make him one.

Alan Pack
Canterbury

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