It’s time politicians listen to the 31.5 million who didn’t vote for Brexit

Pro-European Union supporters and pro-Brexit supporters hold up placards during a demonstration against Brexit in Green Park in London on July 9, 2016. The British government on Saturday formally rejected a petition signed by more than 4.125 million people calling for a second referendum on Britain's membership of the EU. (Photo by Gail Orenstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images) - Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Readers demand politicians stop listening to just the 17.4 million and start listening to the millions that didn’t vote for Brexit.

It is quite impossible to keep count of the number of times pro-Brexit MPs have referred to the 17.4 million who voted to leave the EU. Do any of them give a toss for the 31.5 million who didn’t?

The other thing they frequently witter on about is that a large number of the blessed 17.4 million were voting for the first time. Of what relevance is this? Is the vote of a first-timer to a polling station in some strange way worth more than that of someone who has voted at every election for the last 50 years?

Chris Sexton, Crowthorne

We are constantly told we must deliver on the referendum – the ‘greatest’ democratic vote, etc. The counter-votes, and the ‘don’t knows’ are always left out of this argument. Some represent this in percentages, but let me provide a down-to-earth illustration.

Consider a class of school kids, 37 of them. One day, they are offered the choice of continuing to learn French, or not. Ten of them couldn’t care less. Thirteen are good at French; they enjoy it, and usually go on holiday in France. Fourteen hate the language – some want Russian, some Chinese, others want sports or swimming, or spare time.

In all, by a majority of 14 to 13,

French is abandoned. This majority is one in 37.

It ruins the French students, and is of no benefit to the rest. This is the proportion by which the 17.4 million lay claim to victory.

Roger C Haslock (Distressed Pensioner), Portugal

Why is it that all of the Leaver gang claim to speak on behalf of the British people? “The British people want this” and the “British people are fed-up with that”. They do not speak for me or millions of others. If they want to ask the British people what they as a whole want, a second referendum option exists.

David Perrin, Bridgend

We need a current, independent, objective opinion poll urgently – one that definitively and credibly measures the true percentage of the British voting public who now want to remain rather than leave. If this shows that there’s now a clear majority to stay in after all the arguments have been made and heard, it would be the most effective possible way of countering the claims that leaving is still the will of the people and that we have to “get Brexit done”.

Roger Tidball

May and Johnson have admitted it, as well as many Leave voters: The Brexit vote had as much to do with Leavers justly feeling neglected by Westminster as it did with the EU. In truth, the referendum question might as well just have been: “Do you want to leave Tory cuts, Westminster’s neglect, the City’s greed, etc, or remain as before?”

The sooner we engage the public about what the EU has done for every one of us, the better. So what are we waiting for? Why do we still remain so lukewarm about highlighting what is great about how the EU treats us as citizens, compared to Westminster? This is the only way to win a People’s Vote.

Rebecca Brown

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