Let’s step back from this Brexit chaos and examine exactly where we are.

We have 73 MEPs, the third largest block. Every one of our cabinet ministers has a seat at the Council of Ministers.

If we had the vision, integrity and leadership we could easily form a coalition within 26 countries to counterbalance France and Germany. In the past we led the world. Now we should be running Europe, not running away from it.

We should immediately revoke Article 50, and seek to rebuild our reputation and reform Europe from within. At the same time we should divert all the time, effort and money wasted on Brexit to sorting out austerity, homelessness, late trains, buses which never come, universal credit, cuts to social services and an over-stretched NHS.

These failures are all down to the present Government, and have nothing to do with Europe. By the way, the total UK budget for government expenditure is around £600 billion. Of that we spend only £8 billion on the EU.

Anthony Day,

Lastingham Terrace, York

Oldies should not decide kids’ fate

Reading Tuesday’s letter by Geoff Robb (Sell-out to Brussels will puncture Tories, December 11) I realised the penny had finally dropped: at long last he has found out what a mess we are in.

Let’s look at the voting figures: over-65s voted 60 per cent to leave; 18 to 34s voted 73 per cent to remain.

Many others didn’t bother to vote because David Cameron went through the motions as if remain was a done deal.

Recent research showed seven per cent (1.2 million people) regretted voting leave.

We went months knowing nothing, then had weeks of cloudiness, days that were even murkier and now minutes fluctuate madly.

One thing Geoff and myself have in common is that we have many more years behind us than in front. So why should millions of our kids suffer because of the whims of us oldies?

1.4 million of our kids who are now 18 and should have a say on their futures were not eligible to vote leave or remain. It shouldn’t be us oldies deciding their fate on the basis of fluctuating meaningless promises.

Geoff makes out he is a fair man so I ask him, hand on heart, is it fair on our youth for us decide their futures?

William Moore,

Lochrin Place, York

Parliament is full of so-called experts

Christian Vassie advises that we shouldn’t disregard the views of experts (We’ve never been so out of control, Letters, December 12). Does he know what the definition of an expert is?

An expert is a has-been and a drip under pressure.

It would appear Parliament is full of these.

David Barnes, Yapham