EWEN Simpson responds to my critique by stating that I should not make assumptions about him for which I have no knowledge.

He is quite right, and I will not do that. Indeed I have never done that.

Ewen, if you choose to express your opinion in the public domain then that is the knowledge that I, and others, have about you. It is perfectly reasonable and normal to make related assumptions about people on the basis of what they say.

Ewen Simpson is also quite right that he did not state which way he voted in the Referendum. Nor did he state his usual political allegiance.

However, his self opinion makes it difficult to avoid the conclusions that his feet are firmly in the ‘Remainer’ camp and his political tendencies are towards Liberal Party thinking (I did not suggest he was an actual member of that party).

There is nothing wrong with anyone having such views. It’s a matter of personal opinion. I just happen to profoundly disagree with them.

What he did not say was that my assumptions were wrong. He simply skated around the subject implying he didn’t like me suggesting such.

So Ewen, all you have to do is tell me I’m wrong and that you voted leave in the Referendum and your political inclinations veer towards UKIP and that you do not favour staying in the EU.

I will then profoundly apologise.

Of course you have the right to remain silent.

Finally Ewen, may I suggest you take your own advice about making assumptions about people.

More than 17 million people voted ‘leave’ in the Referendum. To suggest that all/most/any of these people were known well enough to assess why they chose to vote the way they did is plainly arrant nonsense.

Yet you and the Remoaner camp have the sheer effrontery to state or support the view that these people who voted ‘leave’ were either ‘ignorant’ or ‘didn’t know what they were voting for’.

I note that in the recent Italian general election (proportional representation) the anti-EU parties now represent 50 per cent and having the largest single party is the only group capable of forming a government.

Is that election now to be deemed ‘advisory only’ and their voters now to be classified as ‘not knowing what they were voting for.’?

Don Micklewright Weaverham