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Not nation’s finest hour

DURING the referendum debates David Cameron said: “This nation is not a bunch of quitters.” So on Friday morning when I turned on the TV there he was saying: “I quit!”

We ended up in a situation where the government Remain campaign had no Plan B if it lost and the Leave campaign had no Plan B if it won and the chancellor’s gone missing.

The poor old voters who were bombarded with wild exaggerations and downright lies, excluding the big austerity stick if you didn’t vote in a particular way. This left them completely dazed with all the statistics that were thrown at them to such a state they wouldn’t know the truth if it jumped up and bit them on the backside. I fear that many ended up voting with their hearts and not their heads.

I will admit, that I voted to leave the EU; I never voted for it the first time in the early 1970s when we had butter mountains, wine lakes, etc and my view of Brussels has never changed.

However, I will concede that the closeness of the vote was too close to decide to take this country out of the EU. Even Nigel Farage said a 52-48 would make a further referendum necessary when he thought he would lose. So I can understand if those who voted to remain are a bit miffed. Obviously, those will say that’s democracy for you.

There is one certainty from this referendum and that is uncertainty itself. We have a government looking for a new leader and an opposition wanting a new leader. A nation divided – Wales voted out, N.Ireland voted remain, England voted out, Scotland voted remain. For Scotland, they must be really upset and who can blame them, Gordon Brown and co telling them if they leave the Union they will be out of the EU only to be taken out by the English and the Welsh.

I feel that this referendum has turned out to be more like a refer-fragmentation. This is certainly not one of Britain’s finest hours.

Allan Woodham

Nythe

Swindon

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A constitution for UK

WITH regards to the recent Brexit vote by the UK population, there is one vitally important issue we must all come together on now.

It is a fact that the UK is the only advanced country among the world’s top developed nations which has neither a legally written constitution, nor a legally written Bill Of Rights for our citizens.

And please don’t try to quote me the 1,000-year-old Magna Carter document, which was nothing more than a creation of written laws to protect the rights of the land baron rich elite Norman invaders.

Ever since then, successive UK governments can simply just change our country’s laws at any time they fancy, to crush the freedoms of all us citizens for their own parliamentary ill-gotten gains. They can simply just move the goalposts to suit themselves during the legal game whenever they like.

We must now petition Parliament for the right to have updated 21st-century written constitutional articles. It is our right. It is an obvious necessity, considering the appalling way successive British parliaments have treated the British people for many decades, always in blatant favour of the “above-the-law” ruling elite.

If enough UK citizens petition the UK Parliament online – then Parliament is at least required to debate this issue. All we want is fair and equal treatment and opportunities for all citizens.

I’m sure that “Dodgy” Dave Cameron is not the only one who gets a lump in his throat when he tells of how he loves Britain. Whatever the sway of our individual recent votes, all of us UK citizens love our country at least as much as he claims to.

Also, at general election times, party manifestos documents should and must be made to be legally binding documents – should the said party be elected to government. This would stop them welshing on their campaign promises.

Furthermore, I challenge the UKIP leader Nigel Farage to add this promise of the creation of an updated UK Constitution & Bill Of Rights documents requirements to his party’s next election manifesto – if he has the bottle, and is not just all mouth-and-trousers!

Mr KH Oakley

Cleverton Court

Swindon

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Thanks on EU campaign

FIRST, I’d like to thank all the volunteers who helped campaign for Stronger In and for their local party Remain campaigns. Many volunteers for the former had never been involved in politics before but knew they needed to do something to stand up for Britain’s future.

Second, I’d like to thank the more than 51,000 Swindon residents who voted to remain on Thursday. The Remain vote in Swindon was higher than expected, despite us losing the national vote, and all I can do is say sorry that I couldn’t do enough to show how our access to the Single Market benefits everyone in Swindon.

Last (but by no means least), I’d like to thank the Vote Leave campaign in Swindon for helping us to keep the local campaigns civil and respectful. While we differed in our views we were united in promoting democracy and letting the people the Swindon have their say on the future of their town and country.

All we can hope for now is trying to secure the best deal for Britain in the upcoming months, and for Swindon’s sake I only hope the Vote Leave leadership are willing to put in the work to do this. It’s all very well taking control, but now they need to take responsibility too.

Alex Hegenbarth

Head of Britain Stronger In Europe, Swindon

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A very uncertain world

THE decision by the PM to resign following the vote to Brexit has thrown up chaos.

Swindon with its strong leave vote needs leadership, direction and a voice. With our MPs split, no government and a depleted opposition the country and Swindon needs to call for elections to choose a way forward.

With BMW and Honda both now forced to consider their place in this uncertain world, not to mention numerous smaller companies and thousands of jobs, pensions and lives in the balance we need a new government and a new House of Commons, we should demand a General Election as soon as possible.

Cris Coates

Shrivenham

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Backstabbing in Labour

THE two failed Labour candidates from the last general election have joined the undemocratic and backstabbing campaign to oust Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn if you remember was elected by a majority of 53 per cent.

Now I am not a Labour Party member so I have no interest in who the Labour leader is, but I do have an interest in the democratic credentials of candidates for the two Swindon constituencies. How can the people of Swindon trust two people who go against the democratic choice of their own party to have at heart the interests of us non party members? My opinion is that we can’t.

With an election looking likely this year perhaps it behoves the Labour Party to select candidates who do not boast of their treachery in your pages.

Steve Thompson

Norman Road

Swindon

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Orange lodge appeal

DESCRIBED as followers of King William III, Prince of Orange, (originating from the Dutch Royal House of Orange), and also King of England since 1689, Orange societies existed in Ireland from as early as 1688. It was there, in the 1790’s, that Orangemen adopted the lodge system.

They then went on to play a major part in the suppression of the rebellion of the United Irishmen. British Army regiments who were serving in Ireland at this time were so impressed by the courage and loyalty of the Orangemen that they formed lodges in their own regiments. When the regiments returned to England they took their lodges with them. Even when the regiments disbanded, the demobilised soldiers carried on their lodges and civilians began to join also, attracted by the principles of Protestantism and patriotism. Lodges proliferated and, in 1808 the Grand Orange Lodge of England was formed in Manchester with a Colonel Samuel Taylor of Moston as the first Grand Master.

Researchers looking into the archives have discovered that Orange Lodge Warrant No. 54 was issued to a Lt. John Wheeler Pounder (or Pounden) of the Wiltshire Militia.

Those same researchers have been unable to trace this officer through any Wiltshire records. Therefore we wonder if any of your readers can throw any light upon tracing this individual.

Robert Henley

Loyal Orange Lodge 842

“Somme Memorial” Bristol

Email: lol842bristol@yahoo.co.uk

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‘Stars’ are one big con

FOR the second time in a few days, we are out of Europe!

Now we have had it proven. Our highly paid footballers who get “celebrity” status just because they look good against mediocre opposition have proved that they do not have what it takes on the international stage. Too many foreign players in our game who know us well, so we will never develop any further.

They will still rake in their huge salaries next season though and get paid for advertising shampoo and skincare products, make presentations at charity functions and drive their top class cars. It’s time the “supporters” realised that every match they watch, they are being conned. After I saw the England v Iceland result, I laughed until I cried!

Chris Gleed

Proud Close

Purton