CHRISTINE Cassell (Letters, January 12) sees ‘rights’ rather narrowly.

First, although Tony Blair lost all credibility on Iraq, he can reasonably argue that today’s populism is unattractive when it replaces rational debate with derogatory terms such as ‘remoaner’.

Secondly, weren’t the Leave side’s dishonest posters responsible for fear-mongering, brain-washing and treating people with contempt, rather than the government’s argued views on what it believed the best course for the UK?

Thirdly, didn’t American voters opt for the establishment when they gave politically-experienced Hillary Clinton a significant majority in the popular vote over maverick Donald Trump?

Fourthly, what does ‘life we are fed up with’ mean? It’s the younger generation who are most disadvantaged. They have lost free higher education, struggle to afford a home, and are lucky to find secure employment.

Senior citizens, conversely (myself included) have probably never enjoyed so much state support: guaranteed pension increases, concessionary bus passes, free television licences from age 75, and winter fuel payments.

Yet it is younger people who apparently value the right to live, study, work, and make friendships in other EU countries. Around 71 per cent of voters aged under 25 and 54 per cent of those aged 25-49 voted to remain, but only 36 per cent of those aged 65 or over.

Finally, the referendum was a blunt instrument. A survey by NatCen Social Research found that 94 per cent of Remain voters and 90 per cent of Leave voters favour staying in the single market, so the small majority for Leave was not clean-cut.

Denis Fryer