I wonder why those shrinking violets the Chancellor, the Governor of the Bank of England and the Office of Budget Responsibility have kept so quiet about the January budget surplus of £15 billion?

Perhaps they are all embarrassed because last October they competed to give the most downbeat forecast of doom and gloom pre-Brexit.

Perhaps they realised how the economy flourishes when politicians are otherwise engaged.

One of the architects of the post-war world economy and my Edinburgh University external examiner, Harvard Professor J K Galbraith, put it rather well. He said: “There are two kinds of forecasters - those who don’t know and those who don’t know that they don’t know.”

He could have added: “...and those who don’t wish to know.”

A V Martin,

Westfield Close,

Wigginton, York

Our MPs are taking voters for idiots

Remainers want a second EU referendum, even though the first one has not yet been implemented. The choice on ballot paper would be the PM’s Brexit betrayal or remain.

So the choice would be remain or remain.

MPs are taking voters for complete idiots and do not realise that the 17.4 million who voted for Brexit will not be betrayed.

We will vote against all the parties that are trying to overturn Brexit, starting with the local elections on May 2.

If the EU want a free trade deal that is fine. If not, we will trade on WTO tariffs and be £8,000,000,000 a year better off.

Once we are out the UK will boom as we take up all those opportunities that have been denied us whilst we have been under the control of the EU for the last 46 years.

A no deal Brexit would give UK businesses the certainty they want. They will know they will be trading on WTO terms, just like they do with most of the rest of the world.

If Article 50 is extended it will just extend the uncertainty and that is the last thing that UK business wants.

There is a world of opportunity out there. We should grasp the freedom that we voted for.

Judith Morris,

Moorland Road,

Fulford, York

Nothing honourable about Parliament

Every MP should be made to read the words of Chris Moncrieff (What happened to party loyalty?, The Press, February 26) regarding the solemn promises they made before the referendum that they would honour the result whatever the outcome, and also that party-deserting MPs should resign and face a by-election.

Politicians bandy the word ‘honourable’ about with impunity when addressing each other in the chamber, but there is nothing honourable about their campaign to stop the democratic decision of Brexit. What a bunch of hypocrites.

Geoff Robb,

Hunters Close,

Dunnington, York

Listen to Disraeli and roll on March 29

About 200 years ago Benjamin Disraeli is believed to have said: “What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens.”

Roll on March 29.

Graeme Robertson,

Tadcaster Road, York