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Not a clear Brexit

It would seem that Mrs May has achieved the impossible – a deal that is “good for the UK” and is acceptable to Monsieur Barnier! But will it be acceptable to the UK and EU parliaments?

The interesting thing is that, according to the news reports, it appears to have been written in such a way that it is not clear what it actually says. Mrs May assures us that it means that we will be leaving the single market and customs union, that we will regain control over our borders, and that we will no longer be subject to the ECJ (European Court of Justice). But both of her, now former, Brexit Secretaries of State say it does not – which caused them to resign!

Certainly, so far as the (apparently contentious) problems of the Irish border is concerned, I would remind all concerned that there has been a border between North and South since the Irish Act of 1920. It is the UK (not individual parts of it) that has been a member of the EU and is now leaving. Northern Ireland is part of the UK. So, once we leave, the same principles (or ‘rules’) must apply between the EU and the UK regardless of whether the border be on land or in the sea.

Malcolm Morrison, Prospect Hill, Swindon

Not a solution

Alan Spencer suggests that a solution to the post-Brexit border in Ireland might be for the south also to hold an in/out referendum (November 20). I suspect that it would change nothing because they would choose to remain. Certainly they seemed happy with the EU the last time I was over there and they appear to have done very well out of their membership. But then, I think their government has engaged with the EU in a meaningful manner unlike the UK which appears, at best, to have remained aloof.

One of the real problems we have, of course, is that the UK comprises four separate countries. Northern Ireland and Scotland both voted remain, while England and Wales voted leave.

The Tories would have been wise to consider the possibility of this outcome before the terms of the referendum were set.

Don Reeve, Horder Mews, Old Town

Why Black Friday

Something puzzles me.

In these days of extreme political correctness and quite rightly concerns about racism and the care taken so as things won’t be sexist or discriminative we hear for instance that the shop Mothercare should be known as “Parent Care” and that man-size tissues should be called “large tissues”.

So how come the upcoming big global sale weekend that we have these days at the end of November is known as Black Friday?

I don’t understand why this name is given to the event? How come this name never appears questionable even though to some it must be.

Steve Blanchard, Coleview, Swindon