A government of national unity is perfectly possible (‘National Unity’ is a movie that’ll never get made in Westminster, 17 August), but it will take pragmatism and courage. Whoever gets the temporary PM role is political toast; an important footnote in history.
This is the time for Jeremy Corbyn to grasp a golden opportunity. If he steps aside for another, probably a senior politician with no ambition left, he will be recognised as a political hero and titan: what a brilliant position on which to base a campaign for the forthcoming election. If he doesn’t, it demonstrates serious weakness in himself and his advisers.
Richard Cox
Leicester
• I agree with Rafael Behr (Just like 1914, the plunge into calamity now feels inevitable, 21 August) that the buildup to Brexit has echoes of the inexorable drift towards the first world war by a combination of cultural complacency, political pomposity, bogus patriotism and unthinking submission to the timetable. Apart from the Brexit fundamentalists, the biggest single reason why the Damascene moment for remainers has not come is the delusion that Jeremy Corbyn would ever be able to get off the fence and actually lead the campaign for a people’s vote and remain.
Stan Labovitch
Windsor
• Simon Jenkins states that if Jeremy Corbyn were to lay aside partisan rhetoric and muster a parliamentary coalition, he would deserve the nation’s thanks for saving it from the disruption, hardship and expense of no deal (Corbyn could have been nation’s saviour. But he’s too tribal, 19 August). Yes, Simon, I can see today’s media queueing up to bestow that honour upon him.
As for Corbyn “merely” wanting Labour to win an election – he and I both, mate.
Michelle Webb
Huddersfield
• Polly Toynbee (A no-deal Brexit is disastrous. But are MPs brave enough to stop it?, 20 August) suggests that if, “at the last hour, the only salvation for the country is the extraordinary prospect of Tory MPs holding their noses and backing Corbyn, that’s what they must do”, then I’m sure plenty of people will be sympathetic and lend them some spare nose pegs from the New Labour years after the Iraq war.
Derrick Cameron
Stoke-on-Trent
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