LETTER: PM Boris Johnson is a threat to us all

Did it take courage for Boris Johnson to give Darius Guppy, Johnson’s close friend from Eton, a journalist’s address so Guppy could plot to have him beaten up? Did it take courage for Johnson to lie to his newspaper editors and twice be sacked? No, it is part of a pattern of behaviour, where moral and humane boundaries are not simply crossed but obliterated - as with the deference to the sovereignty of parliament in our fragile democracy.

It’s the end that counts. A couple of broken ribs, a porky or two, a break with our unwritten constitution - all worth it to silence a journalist, contain an editor’s questions, mute inconvenient parliamentary debate, achieve no deal Brexit. Not courage; compulsion more likely. Johnson is a danger to us all because of his means, regardless of the end.

Jayne Venables,

Fylingdale Avenue,

Clifton,York

We’ve put the chief charlatan in charge

Keith Massey (Boris hasn’t put a foot wrong as PM, Letters August 31) illustrates the deceit that characterises so much Brexit posturing.

In asserting that the UK cannot owe £39 billion, even though this figure is agreed by the British government to be a fair representation of our nation’s debts and commitments with the EU, Mr Massey claims that, to be fair, every nation in the EU must owe the same amount.

There are 508 million people in Europe. Smaller nations such as Cyprus have a total population of 847,000, Latvia and Slovenia around two million each. By comparison the UK population is just under 65 million. But Keith Massey wants all the nations of the EU to owe the same amount! This is ridiculous. Should York’s total council tax bill be the same as London’s?

The entire dreary Brexit saga has been fuelled by such nonsense. In Brexitland facts and figures count for nothing which is, of course, why it is so hard for reasoned debate to take place.

In putting Johnson in number 10, without troubling the nation in a democratic vote, the Tory party has put the chief charlatan at the heart of the chaos. No good can come of it.

Christian Vassie,

Blake Court, Wheldrake, York

Surely the PM hasn’t been telling porkies?

In last Friday’s letters column Dr. Scott Marmion praises Boris Johnson for proroguing Parliament in order to push Brexit through.

But Boris himself claims this is entirely normal procedure associated with a forthcoming Queen’s Speech, and nothing at all to do with Brexit.

It seems, then, that Dr. Marmion must agree with all those Remainers who think the PM is telling lies.

Alan Robinson,

Lindley Street,

Holgate, York

Congratulations Boris on tough line with MPs

Congratulations Boris. People in work who don’t conform to company policy invariably receive their marching orders. Why should it not apply to MPs?

Peter Rickaby,

West Park, Selby

Remainers continue to ignore the facts

It never ceases to amaze me how all those disgruntled Remainers, who have never accepted the Brexit referendum result because they unexpectedly lost the vote, know the reasons why 17.4 million people voted to leave the EU. Are they all gifted with mind-reading skills, or is it that they are concocting reasons that fit with their pro Brussels stance?

The latest in a long line was our local columnist Tim Murgatroyd (The Press, August 28), whose full page of Project Fear has added his own theories to accompany the myriad of previous ones.

I know not why 16 million voted to remain in the EU, but the reasons are immaterial. I do, however, know that in the referendum campaign itself, no mention whatsoever was ever made by the Remain side that they would not accept and implement the result, or that there should be a second referendum on any deal negotiated. How conveniently the vociferous, plotting Remainers ignore the facts.

Geoff Robb,

Hunters Close,

Dunnington