“Brexit means Brexit.” For it to be otherwise would be a refutation of the referendum result. But, as turbulence and uncertainty continue to threaten stability and confidence (First economic health check since Brexit sounds alarm, 23 July), it remains unclear what form Brexit might take. Opinions range from the radical “We want our country back” to Brexit-lite where we carry on much as before.
The vote was extremely close and the yes-no option so oversimple. Therefore, if we are to be true to our democratic principles, shouldn’t the degree of change be proportionate to the gap that separates the leavers from the remainers? I leave it to strategists to work out how this might be achieved but to have such parameters underlying practical planning and decision-making might be helpful in determining post-Brexit relations with Europe. At home, fair-minded voters ought to respect such an accommodation.
Peter Chapman
Baldock, Hertfordshire
• John Redwood says of the referendum result: “We accepted the verdict of the UK voters” (Report, theguardian.com, 25 July). Good, because the verdict was very clear: just over half voted to leave the EU, just under half to stay. Any new relationship with Europe must satisfy both sides of the debate or fail. It’s called a compromise, a word totally absent from Mr Redwood’s vocabulary.
David Hughes
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
• Perhaps something good can come from Brexit after all if it makes the government reconsider some of the ludicrously large projects it has embarked upon (Brexit ‘will stall big projects’, 22 July). Far better to invest in agile, incremental projects that can be adjusted to fit the resources available and deliver benefits as they go. For example, transitioning localities to green energy and insulation rather than building mega power stations. Or improving the service on existing rail lines rather than over-ambitious mainline developments.
But, of course, such projects do not have the risk-taking bravado so beloved of politicians. Why commit to low-cost, low-risk investments that actually deliver on time and budget, when you can swan around TV studios trumpeting about your latest vanity project?
Richard Gilyead
Saffron Walden, Essex
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