BORIS Johnson got his deal passed on the Second Reading. He could have got it passed altogether in a few weeks. Three days was not long enough for the MPs to read and debate hundreds of pages. Why did he go for an election? Because he knew that they would never accept it. The fact that the EU people from Michel Barnier to Jean-Claude Junker to Leo Varadkar were all smiles tells us the deal suited them and not us. He had made the Etonian move: won at all costs: gave them what they wanted for the sake of a triumph, the thing above all he craves, after education in Classics, like the imperators of Rome. He knew that his deal would fail to pass the Commons.

A deal that is favourable to us, that we can agree on, is impossible. The EU will never agree to that. It might cause an exodus of other countries if ours is seen to thrive outside. Jeremy Corbyn is naive. A better deal is impossible. Jo Swinson wants to remain against the wishes of all those who voted to Leave and many Remainers content to accept the result: doomed to fail. Nigel Farage is the only person who understands the playing field. That is because he has been playing there for years and knows what they are up to. They want to make the UK a colony of the EU.

We have to leave with no deal. That has always been the only way to get a good deal: make our own deals around the world and wait for the EU to come and beg to trade with us. They have far more to lose and they know it. We have the opportunity to become the new Singapore and thrive in ways we and Lee Kuan Yew never imagined. We are far bigger and far abler with huge resources of brilliant experience.

William Scott, Rothesay.

TO the questions posed by Bryce Drummond (Letters, November 1), I would add one more. When will we see publication of the “risk assessments” relating to the new fantastic deal?

I hope that the voters who “just want it to be done” are made aware of the risks to their future employment, especially in manufacturing industries. I am sure that the large number of voters working in the services industry will not need any reminder of the outcome of the latest “deal”.

Those who are fed up and “just want it done", and I include myself, should think seriously about the effect on future generations. I suspect that they might want to find out much more about the potential long-term outcome.

Getting this done just because we are fed up with it is not the way to proceed. A proper unbiased and predicted plan for the future is required so that voters can vote “leave or remain" in the coming election, the outcome of which, unfortunately, is going to be heavily influenced by this subject.

Malcolm Rankin, Seamill.

AS an exiled Scot who is longer on the electoral role over there I watch developments with interest and trepidation. In what is being touted as an unpredictable situation, the December 12 Christmas shopping for a new government will be fascinating but I can only see one outcome.

Tories will benefit from Brexit fatigue with some people, who don’t understand it and aren’t sure if they care, voting for Boris Johnson just to get the whole thing over with. No-one is quite sure on Labour’s position on Brexit so Jeremy Corbyn will focus on the NHS, housing, services, inequality and other social issues where Mr Johnson has nowhere to hide – except of course to lie as per Donald Trump. Just say it often enough and people will think it is true.

Sadly a lot of working class voters want to leave the EU simply because they don't like being told what to do by Brussels and don’t like immigrants. They have not grasped the more complex issues so Labour will lose their vote. As was said in that excellent book Primary Colours, “a blue collar can give you a red neck”.

Nigel Farage will split the right-wing votes, taking some away from Tories but similarly the LibDems will take votes from Labour. The SNP will do well of course, but remain impotent in Westminster.

So the likely (read "worst case") scenario is a hung Parliament with Mr Johnson needing the Brexit Party to prop him up and thus be able to call the shots on Brexit.

O me miserum, as my old Latin teacher used to say. Why did David Cameron lead us into this?

Eric Scott, Bondi Junction 2022, Australia.