THE real gravy train in Wales is local government with 22 local authorities, with 22 chief executives on far higher salaries than civil servants, and the highest number of councillors per head of population than anywhere else in the UK.

Brexit is a protest vote by those communities left behind by globalisation but the irony is that they will be left even further behind if we leave the EU.

Austerity is the real cause of rising inequality and wage stagnation that is also a major problem for Italy, Spain and, of course, Greece, where it has been imposed by the German finance minister’s control of the Eurozone, which is now threatening to implode.

As we are not in the Eurozone why put ourselves through an expensive, and messy, divorce from our most important trading partners?

Britain once led the fight against the reactionary and authoritarian forces of right wing nationalism but a red, white and blue Brexit will mean that we take the lead in a downward spiral which will not only impoverish us all but, with Trump in the White House, could lead to trade wars that could spiral into more than cold war.

Margaret Phelps

Raisdale Gardens

Penarth