HOW fragile and precious peace and stability are.

Many people have argued that one of the great achievements of the European Union has been the fact that all those nations who have joined it have remained at peace with each other for 60 years.

Trading freely and working together to create and protect a common future have proved more constructive than the kind of sabre rattling and confrontation that characterised European war-torn history.

Many warned that leaving the EU would put this at risk.

It is depressing but not surprising therefore to see that just four days after launching Article 50 we have a senior British politician, Michael Howard, posturing about going to war with Spain over Gibraltar.

Of course it won’t be him fighting, he will want to send young men to do that.

People like Howard demonstrate exactly why it was that Winston Churchill and the other leaders of Europe worked to establish a union of European nations after the Second World War; to save us from ourselves.

The young are right to feel betrayed by those who would sow distrust and division among the peoples of Europe.

Brexit is an unhappy road to nowhere.

Christian Vassie, Blake Court, Wheldrake, York