IT was reported that David Cameron was anxious that the referendum on leaving the EU should be worded in the most neutral way possible.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that simply asking Leave or Remain did not achieve this aim, and there is a wide range of qualifications to be considered, such as “leave, provided that...” or “remain, unless...”.
I would submit that any future referendum on changing the status quo should only require a vote by those wishing to make the change, and they would need to get the support of more than 50 per cent of the electorate.
They would need to show a majority wanted to have the change they were seeking and were not reasonably content with the existing situation or not convinced that the change proposed would actually mean an improvement.
51.9 per cent of the electorate would be difficult to dispute, but 51.9 per cent of 72.2 per cent is only 37.5 per cent of the total.
A vote for ‘A’ or ‘B’ should only be used when there is general agreement that a change is needed and there are two alternative solutions, eg Gatwick or Heathrow.
David J Brown, Acomb, York
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