Letters: Brexit will not be good for Britain

Being a Briton of 1992 departure date (in NZ since), I have long listened to the wisdom of Professor Gould, finding him a rare voice of reason among UK politicians, especially of the Labour party.

To hear him proposing benefits for the UK of leaving the EU (Opinion, June 24) is unexpected. I wonder if he has ever filed an export document, carried a good across a border? It is a hugely time consuming and arduous process, in which one is often subject to the terror of the minor bureaucrat. To imagine the return of such being an advantage to UK traders, in the hope of better trading with India (whose relationship to the UK is far less positive than we imagine) is fanciful.

To me, it feels as if Britain has run down its business activity to the degree that there is little left to attract future investment.

As my German wife reminds me, Britain was never "in" the EU. She sees Thatcher's renegotiation demands of the 80s as immoral.

So really, Britain will be where it always was, on its own: but the ease of doing business with its nearest neighbours will be lost. And good luck in negotiating a "great deal" with the USA - you are after all up against the greatest dealmaker the world has ever known.
Bonne chance, Britain. We are delighted with our choice of replacement homeland, and my passport may well decline the renewal fee in 2021. (Abridged)

David Wheeler
Waiheke Island

Council spending questioned

I agree with Tony Fellingham's comment (Letters, June 29) regarding council overspend on funds to repair the Mount track.

It seems, in my view, that every project the council gets involved in costs escalate out of control. Why?

It's easy when you are spending someone else's money to throw more at it.

The council should widen its list of contractors and look at more realistic prices.

Tourist and cruise ship season will be upon us in a few months and wouldn't it be nice to have the track up and running by then? (Abridged)

Ian Manson
Tauranga
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