Dear Editor,

Back on April 13th, the editorial column covered the EU decisions facing the electorate, and posed the question whether an independent Q&A hosted by the paper would be of value. If not too late I would like to express an emphatic ‘yes’.

At least in the crucible of live debate, with (hopefully) informed and well-balanced advocates making their cases, the opportunity exists to test claims and assess arguments. Little since the Referendum was first announced has changed, so various arguments just seem to be doing the rounds over and over, if with events maybe adding to or diminishing them as they unfold.

And of course well-whipped party politics and self-interest are dominating, despite this, in theory, being a one-person, one-vote opportunity for all in the UK eligible. Hence I find the selective cherry-picking and pot-shotting from professional politicians and their activist supporters on a one week turnaround in the letters pages less than helpful.

It is of course lovely to also see so many traditional foes and even rivals from the political firmament all so keen on pushing their favoured course, with Conservative MEPs, Lib Dem PPCs, councillors all speaking as one with such entities as unions, traditionally known to be so keen on seeing the bigger national picture over, say, members’ financial interests. The EU Referendum does go beyond interest groups and the economic, much as many would prefer other aspects to be side-lined in favour of talking just about money.

And like any system where control is conceded further, promises now can of course be reneged upon or changed once it is really too late to do much about it any more.

Funnily enough, speaking of which I just checked the NFU website and was greeted by this headline: “Brexit may not be beneficial for UK farmers”

That is a view of course, but hardly seems confident or definitive, and it seems pretty clear to me that such claims could benefit from being chatted around further. Especially as that is not what I read quoted as Farmers were saying last week on your pages. ‘Will not’ is different to ‘may not’.

Your readers may wish to bear this in mind the next time anyone claiming to be informing neutrally for any side writes or rebuts further over evolving weeks.

Peter Martin

Ross-on-Wye