Few will have sympathy for the plight of the two main Westminster parties suffering a Brexit backlash in the local elections across England (Report, 3 May). But it’s worth stopping for a second to consider the childlike logic that characterises some of the electorate’s understanding of Brexit.
It’s a logic shamefully endorsed by both senior Tory and Labour figures when they suggest that these adverse results prove that voters want Brexit “done”. That assumes it is a finite event, akin to turning a knob or flicking a switch, through which we can suddenly change our circumstances, whereupon life and politics will suddenly return to normal and we’ll all live happily ever after.
No frontbencher on either side of the house has yet had the decency or guts to come forward to admit that the effects of any Brexit – be it soft or hard – will be felt for many years to come, culturally, economically and politically, impacting on our lives in perpetuity.
That people can’t or refuse to grasp this fact is testament to the power of the deceit that fuelled the result; namely the claim that it was all going to be so easy. My advice to them all would be: best start preparing the coop, because the chickens will be coming home to roost for many years to come.
Colin Montgomery
Edinburgh
• It is neither sensible nor reliable to generalise from the outcome of hundreds of local elections, but the government and opposition should learn one lesson, and take one action. Tories, Labour and Ukip have all taken a hit from an angry and despairing electorate, presaging a serious threat from Nigel Farage’s Brexit party in the putative European elections. In these circumstances the negotiating teams should clear their diaries and work through the weekend to arrive at a historic compromise to put before parliament, before another week is lost.
Les Bright
Exeter, Devon
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