The greatest irony about the term “democratic will of the people” is its use to refer to a decision reached by the political chicanery and dishonesty of the Leave campaigners and the general ignorance of an electorate fed with misinformation and the bias of editors whose papers’ stance was fundamentally anti-EU.

How many of those who voted to leave had ever travelled in or to Europe? How many had any knowledge or experience of pre-war Europe?

How many understood the “unelected bureaucrats in Brussels who lay down rules for us to obey” were trying to harmonise the systems of 28 different countries?  Could they imagine our MPs ever agreeing to systemise anything here?

People like me fought a hard war to give Europe a chance to resurrect in a new stable, non-parochial system, or so we hoped, and these post-war ignoramuses are keen to apply their self-serving and self-deceptive ideas to realise their quaint idea of self-governance and self-determination.

Did they really imagine Britain can survive without Europe or vice versa? Do they suppose that Putin and Xi aren’t rubbing their hands in utter glee at this utterly foolish idea of breaking the union?

What world are they living in?

John Benson
Dunlin Court, Kelvedon