Letters: Brexit is setting loose and celebrating latent xenophobia
Protesters against Donald Trump and Brexit. Photograph: Ik Aldama/DPA/PA Images. - Credit: DPA/PA Images
At a pedestrian crossing in Bucharest a woman overheard us speaking English and said to us: 'You are English, why are you in Romania?'
When we looked bemused at her question, she added: 'The English, they hate the Romanians. I know. My sister lives in England.' It turned out she had visited her sister here and that confirmed her view.
We were ashamed at her view of the UK, a country where the worst of latent xenophobia that lay beneath the surface of our political culture has been set loose and celebrated by the Brexit so-called 'debate'.
Chris Clode
Wrexham
You may also want to watch:
In 1967 the Commons voted to legalise abortion despite it being obvious that the 'will of the people' would have been to keep the law as it was (as that parliament also did to decriminalise homosexuality, and to abolish capital punishment).
Most Read
- 1 The greatest failure of government in our lifetime
- 2 The bigot we should have called out on day one
- 3 The polling that signals the plight of the Union
- 4 Matt Hancock praises free school meals before being reminded he voted against them
- 5 Brexiteer MP ridiculed after calling for free movement of goods between GB and NI
- 6 Brexiteer says he'd never have voted for Brexit 'if we knew we'd lose our jobs'
- 7 Nigel Farage launches new party in Scotland to promote 'positive case for the Union'
- 8 Boris Johnson claims Labour supporters using Universal Credit vote to incite hatred
- 9 Brexit changes lead to exodus of Brits from Spain, UK nationals claim
- 10 James O'Brien schools Brexiteer who refuses to accept new EU-UK trade rules
They did so because sufficient members of the Commons had the moral courage to do what was right rather than do what they perceived as popular. This is what having a representative democracy is all about.
We elect representatives to take decisions that are right for the country, not to take the cowards way out of putting it to a referendum.
What would this country do to have a Commons with similar backbone today?
Tim Schofield
The current situation with Brexit very much reminds me of what happened with Nazi Germany. The British people were in favour of appeasement as carried out by Neville Chamberlain. However, appeasement was a policy that would lead to the Nazi takeover of mainland Europe.
The Leave politicians and public advocates seem very much like the pre-war pro-appeasement British politicians.
John Rose
Wolverhampton
• Send your letters for publication to letters@theneweuropean.co.uk or share your thoughts on The New European Facebook Group.
MORE - Chris Grey: The Deadly Sins of Brexit
MORE - Britain's trade prospects after Brexit? It's a sham.
MORE - MPs sign letter calling for vote with option to remain in the EU
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
