I MUST respectfully disagree with Penny Rawson’s take on democracy and the Brexit referendum (‘Brexit hopeful’, Postbag, September 19).

We live in a representative democracy. We freely elect people to represent us. We pay them to take the time and trouble, not to think for us, but to listen and then use their judgement to act in our best interest.

The referendum was advisory, not mandatory. And the Leave campaign was about our Parliament ‘taking back control’, not an unelected Prime Minister.

Even if the result was a mandate to negotiate our departure, to go into an unknown future, it wasn’t a vote to drive over a cliff edge to get there.

READ MORE: LETTER: 'I have watched the appalling shenanigans and blatant attempts to thwart Brexit'

This is a time to be proud of our democratic system and Parliament, not castigate it.

It is imperfect and nobody gets all that they want; but it has served us well for 200 years.

(Edmund Burke wrote: ‘Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.’ If we don’t like his or her judgement, we vote accordingly.)

PA HALL
Cotford St Luke