I wonder when we voted in 2016 could we ever have envisaged how frightened, sad, ashamed and disgusted we would feel in 2019, to have reached this stage of negotiations and still see our country dragged down by indecision and weakness?

Sorting out the most complicated situation in our modern history cannot be undertaken by one political party.

Surely we need an all -party committee dealing purely with Brexit, a committee that does not bring party politics as baggage and would solely concentrate on negotiation with the EU?

This should have been done from the very beginning so we could hold our heads up high and present a united front to match the EU.

What a forlorn, weak and lonely picture Teresa May presented on her visits to confront the EU.

The British media and our House of Commons have a large part to play in presenting Great Britain’s weak standing to the rest of the world.

The British population are totally worn down by our laughing, shouting hyenas in the House of Commons, and these are the schoolboys who are supposed to be taking care of our country.

Our decline seems to be so palpable at present, you can virtually feel industries turning their back on Britain.

Japan has made it very clear they will find it difficult to trade with a Briain out of the EU and Nissan are also now moving their interest from Sunderland ...the first result in to vote leave...

K M Exton,

Wheldrake,York

Tax numbers game is revealing on Europe

I have just received my income tax summary for 2017/18 and on the reverse I was surprised to see a pie chart which details how the Government has spent the income tax which I have paid.

Two very surprising figures stand out. The first is overseas aid at £28, and the second, UK contributions to the EU budget, £16. This is what I have paid.

Now reading all the coverage in the media over the last couple of years I would have thought these amounts would have been much, much higher. Just goes to show ‘fake news’ is everywhere.

Other interesting figures are: welfare £559, health £467, national debt interest £143, and government administration £49.

So it seems at long last we are getting information we could have used to make a more informed decision on Brexit.

Now I am even more confused. It seems that the European Union do not milk me dry year after year, £16 is after all only a couple of bottles of wine!

Plus maybe austerity was worth the pain if interest payments on the national debt cost me £143 per year. This must be reduced, I think, ASAP.

Stuart Wilson,

Vesper Drive, York

Brexit is not the only issue to protest on

Mary Morton (Letters, February 2) says she will ‘march for a Brexit the people voted for’.

I can’t help thinking that it would be far better to march against austerity, high fuel prices, poor housing, an underfunded NHS, polluted air, potholed roads and a crumbling transport infrastructure.

All these issues are the responsibility of the British government and nothing to do with the EU.

The Government is using the overpowering Brexit debate as a smokescreen to hide its failings.

These problems will still be there - probably worse - after the Brexit smoke clears, whether we leave or not.

Anthony Day,

Lastingham Terrace, York

Where is evidence on no deal catastrophe?

I DO wish that Tim Murgatroyd and other columnists of his ilk would resist claiming without a shred of evidence that a no deal Brexit (which is what we voted for) will be a catastrophe.

If he knew as much about next week’s political, financial and industrial events as he claims to regarding two months ahead he would be owning your newspaper group instead of writing for it.

I would suggest that when we can decide how to use the billions we currently send to Brussels the Universal Credit scene could well be a lot brighter.

A V Martin,

MA Hons Economic Science,

Westfield Close,

Wigginton,York