AS IS his want in his numerous letters to the Echo, Robert Readman in his letters about the EU continues to claim that he has a monopoly of the truth.

Sadly in his latest letter he also adds inflammatory rhetoric to that. He says that 17.4 million and perhaps a great many more are now "spitting blood". That is frankly ridiculous. He has no idea how people feel.

Like many Brexiteers he takes a very simplistic view of the arguments.

It is wrong to blame Remainers for the position we find ourselves in because the argument is more complex than he recognises.

For example one of the stumbling blocks has been the Irish border and the position held by the DUP. Their agenda is nothing to do with Brexit per se, rather they are seeking to preserve their own very narrow position regardless of the interests of the UK as a whole.

It is difficult to comment on the Labour Party because no one really knows where they stand. I would only conclude that again they are using this for their own particular political ends in order to end up in government.

Equally of course we may well have left by now had it not been for the resistance of the hardline ERG group of leavers. Then, of course, there are those who are happy to see us leave but want to ensure that we get the best deal.

The Letwin amendment was not designed to stop us leaving the EU but to allow Parliament to have a proper debate upon the issues involved.

This would not have been necessary but for the fact that we have a Prime Minister who is determined to manipulate things and even ignore the will of Parliament to pursue his own agenda.

We should thank Mr Letwin for standing up for Parliament and indeed democracy on this issue.

Mr Readman also ignores the fact that during the referendum campaign we were repeatedly told how the EU needed us more than we needed them and they would just roll over and give us all we wanted. That has not happened.

One of the root causes of the situation we find ourselves in that there is no consensus on which of the deals under debate is the best, or more appropriately, the least worse.

Sadly Mr Readman's letter and attitude will do nothing to enhance reasoned debate and will only serve to inflame an already divisive situation.

RF COOPER

Laidlaw Close, Poole