I congratulate A V Martin on his letter to the Press (EU were masters of negotiation on Brexit, January 2).

He is quite right, we do not appear to have any politicians that are capable negotiating. They go to university and do some debating, but this is not negotiating. Most have not have not been in the real world. Sorry Mr Martin, they have not forgotten how to run a successful economy, they have not learnt it in the first place, by being in the real world.

The debating skills which they learn, however, stand them in good stead for bawling and shouting at each other during Prime Ministers’ Question Time.

Politicians like David Davis, Jacob Rees-Mogg etc all took their bats home when they found they couldn’t get their own way: proof of their lack of negotiating powers.

They should have stayed and argued (ie negotiated) and got behind the Prime Minister instead of leaving her to sort out the mess that Cameron left. I very much doubt any one of them would have negotiated any better.

Reference Mrs Barker’s excellent letter of the same date (Think carefully if we get a second vote, January 2): I just hope the youngsters read it. Maybe the threat of conscription by the EU will help them to think!

Ray Theakston,

Haxby, York

Project Fear is alive and kicking in Brexit

Project Fear is still alive and kicking. Now Mrs M Barker (Letters, January 2) raises the spectre of British youngsters being conscripted to a European Army.

Before the referendum David Cameron’s ‘renegotiation’ of the terms of British EU membership produced very little of substance, but did secure a UK opt-out of ‘ever closer union’. The EU cannot unilaterally force a Brussels-run conscripting army on the UK. And it’s hard to see how the other member states would all agree to it anyway.

So forget it. That attempt to scare youngsters off EU membership is an empty threat.

Alan Robinson,

Lindley Street,

Holgate,York

The young are often wiser than us oldies

I do despair at people who make comments without knowing the facts.

I read a number of anti-EU letters on January 2. I’m over 70, and lived in Europe for more than 16 years on and off while in the Armed Forces.

European Army? Wow. We’ve had one for years called NATO (it includes the US). So what’s the problem?

National Service? See who in EU has this: only one country.

Don’t decry the young as they are often wiser than us oldies. Maybe Leavers want to return to good old days of strikes/ three day working/ blackouts etc.

Fact: 17 million voted leave, 16 million remain, 12 million failed to vote (tough, some say). By my calculation that is 38 per cent forcing 62 per cent to leave.

D Martell MBE,

Wigginton, York