Professor Grayling's letter to MPs misses some other important issues

The master of New College London (HERE), professor A C Grayling, has written a letter to all 650 MPs setting out an excellent case for them to overturn the result of the referendum because:

• that the referendum was advisory only and non-binding,
• that the majority for ‘Brexit’ was small (3.8%),
• that there are major questions about the circumstances of the respective Remain and especially Leave campaigns regarding probity of information, claims and promises made to voters,
• that a serious risk of break-up of the UK impends upon a ‘Brexit,’
• that the economic consequences of a ‘Brexit’ are not in the UK’s favour,
• that a ‘Brexit’ would damage our neighbours and partners in Europe,
• and that the future of the young of our country is focally implicated in the decision,

But it also overlooks several other good reasons, namely:

• When Article 50 is triggered we are effectively starting an irreversible process with the only certain outcome being our trading on WTO terms with our nearest and the worlds's largest and richest market. This would as Professor Grayling points out, not be good.
• Entry and withdrawal are two sides of the same coin and are covered by adjacent articles in the Lisbon Treaty (49 and 50).  No government would JOIN the EU without a negotiated agreement put to the people in a referendum. There would then be a clear choice of two competing futures. In ours we had only the status quo and something else.
• The referendum was about the EU, not immigration although this was raised constantly as a reason to leave. It is not impossible that a final settlement could easily comply with the result but still permit freedom of movement of people.
• The young voted overwhelmingly to remain,  In 25 or 30 years time they will have grown up and can apply for membership again and the EU would accept us back so the older voters will have achieved nothing anyway.