Dear Dr Whitehead

After the House of Commons voted last night for ‘indicative votes’, there has probably never been a better time to write to your MP, regardless of your opinions on Brexit or the Government’s handling of it. Representative democracy works best when the representatives know what their constituents want, and they can only do that if we tell them. Below is what I wrote: feel free to critique or use it as inspiration for your own correspondence.

Dear Dr Whitehead,

I am pleased to see that you voted in favour of both the Beckett and Letwin amendments last night, and am writing to you today with my views on how Parliament should take control of the Brexit process. I am also pleased to see the posts on your website which align largely with my views on a People’s Vote to break the parliamentary deadlock and, if that happens, campaigning to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU.

People should be allowed, and even encouraged, to change their mind when presented with new evidence, and when the referendum nearly three years ago was so close, it seems perverse to call it undemocratic not to ask the people of this country what they think now that the difficulty of leaving the EU has been demonstrated (although the incompetence of the May Government has probably exaggerated it somewhat).

I remain in favour if not of outright revocation of retaining the closest ties with our European neighbours possible; whether that is means ‘Norway-plus’, customs union or something else I am not familiar enough with the options to say. I would also hope for some form of compromise solution, something that the Government has so far been unable to deliver with their entirely inflexible red lines.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Holland

Having now sent and re-read it, I’m slightly annoyed that I forgot to mention the People’s March and the petition, but maybe it’s better to keep things short and to the point. I can only now hope that Parliament can finally get things unstuck and make some forward progress.