Madam,

Patrick O’Brien’s excellent column in the Cambrian News about the repercussions of leaving the European Union should serve as a wake-up call to everyone, and even to the most die-hard of ‘Leavers’.

Not only has the breathtaking incompetence of Conservative ministers in the Brexit negotiations made Britain an international laughing stock, but we now face the very real prospect of crashing out of Europe with no deal at all.

Meanwhile, the dire consequences of leaving the EU are becoming more apparent, almost by the day.

These have been highlighted in warnings from, amongst others, the Bank of England, financial institutions, the building industry, the medical profession, higher education, research bodies, the business and transport sectors, the trade unions and now, within the last week, from the steel industry. Yet the blinkered Brexiteers plough blindly on in search of some mythical nirvana that they seem to believe exists outside the EU.

This sorry affair reminds me of an old story, albeit with a modern twist. A group of lemmings is approaching the edge of a cliff over which they will jump to almost certain death.

One lemming turns to another and says: ‘Why are we doing this?”. “Well it’s obvious, isn’t it?’ the other lemming replies. ‘It’s the will of the people...’

Yours etc,

Mike Walker, Dan-y-Coed, Aberystwyth.

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