AS a proud Brit, I awoke yesterday morning distraught to find the rest of the world sees us as fools.

Sadly, the rest of the world is correct. We have been taken for fools for several years.

We were taken for fools when David Cameron framed the referendum so ineptly.

Fools again when the Remain campaign thought scare stories were sufficient.

Once more when Leave sold us the fantasy that we could return to days of independent glory.

Thirty months of foolish and inept negotiation followed.

Yesterday the foolishness was doubled when we were asked to believe that politicians could digest and decide upon a terse 500-page legalistic document in the space of a few hours and that the course of action that flowed from this decision was the best that could be achieved.

Whilst those in office continued to fool us, those who should hold them to account do not escape blame.

Complicit MPs from what is laughingly deemed the opposition have consistently failed to demand the answers to searching questions. Our largely supine media have generally allowed the foolishness to pass unchecked.

It is difficult to think of a person or organisation in public life that has served this country well these past three years. That scorn is merited whether you voted Leave or Remain.

I can only take solace that Shakespeare reminds us we have been here before, as he has Lear declare: “We cry that we have come to this stage of fools.”

David Lewis,

Church End,

Cawood, Selby