Debating Brexit: 'Britain has turned its back on its countrymen'

Wrong decision
Queen Victoria would turn in her grave if she could see what we have done to our once-proud country (“Brexit fallout: House of Commons website crashes because of petition for second EU referendum”).

We have effectively turned our backs on our countrymen. We have turned our backs on the Scottish, who now quite rightly wish to have their independence and stay on in the EU. We have turned our backs on North Ireland, which is also wishing for independence.

A country is currently in ruins, a prime minister that brought the country back to the top in terms of GDP growth has resigned. The leader of the opposition faces a vote of no confidence. There is confusion, disarray and losses in financial markets across the world.

It is a sad day for the country, not so much because of the decision we made but because we did not make it in the informed and rational manner that we in the UK are infamous for. – Tony Beaven

Moving on
While the British businessman’s fear may be justified in some ways, it may also be the kind of fear a child has when leaving home after graduating from school to go live in a college hostel (“What Brexit means for me: 'I see my home nation unsure of its place in the world'”). How the youngster’s transition pans out depends on his preparedness.

Did Britain prepare itself before deciding to move out? Given how narrow the victory margin for “Leave” was, I doubt it. Now that the decision is made, there is no time to waste pointing fingers and finding fault. We have been taught in our younger days not to cry over spilt milk.

The best thing is to respect the outcome and get all hands on deck to help things stabilise. – Harish Dalal

Wrong derivation
Citing isolated Churchill quotes from a time when he saw the imperative need for Franco-German rapprochement after World War II is not dispositive (“Watch: As the world readies for Brexit, here's Winston Churchill envisaging a united Europe”).

In attempting to say how Churchill would feel about today's European Union (an impossible exercise) one is at least obliged to explain why, having made so many inspiring speeches supporting the concept of European unity as Leader of the Opposition in the second half of the 1940s, Churchill then the prime minister, prevented Britain from getting involved in the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Army, and all the other projects for unification in the first half of the 1950s. The EU of 2016 is something Churchill could never have envisioned. – Richard Langworth

In Memoriam
Back in the late ’60s, I spent many hours in Neil O'Brien's office at Oxford University Press after I finished work at The Statesman office (“Neil O’Brien: The father of Indian quizzing had more than just a few questions up his sleeve”). Most of that time was spent answering questions that Neil would throw at me, mainly about sports. He would delight in asking me to name all the heavyweight champions of the world, starting with John L Sullivan.

He was my table tennis partner and our mentor for the Inter Parish Quiz championships. I realise now how privileged I am to have called him a friend. Rest in peace Neil. I will never forget you. – Peter Mariano

Incorrect stance
This is the most pessimistic article (“How the Americans first proposed India's NSG membership and then turned it into a Sino-India tangle”) I have read .

Clearly the writer has no clue about India and its people. Instead of appreciating someone’s efforts, he goes on a tirade against India and accused it of making the wrong decisions and angering China.

India's development is China's loss. Everyone knows this. So the only thing for India to do is to make the best of every situation. We need to grow, even when every other nation has its own agendas, including US and China. We need to use those agendas to our favor. And that that is what the prime minister is doing.

We knew that getting into NSG was next to impossible. But we had to hope and try. In the end, we show the world who our friends and foe are. That was the aim of the entire diplomatic exercise.

That is what the writer should be concentrating on. Not a single Indian is humiliated by India’s NSG bid. We are proud of having tried. – Raghuveer Rao

Flawed perspective
The writer of this article (“From Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain to Amir Khusro, same-sex references abound in Islamic poetry”) falls into the very trap he is warning readers against, namely, viewing historical figures with modern lenses .

Is it not possible for a grown man to live with a boy but not have a sexual relationship with him? Can a man not tell his male murshid, or spiritual master, that he is in love with him, and not be having or seeking a physical relationship with him? – Rehan Lateefi

Exam scam
The revelation about the topper scam in Bihar has confirmed all the doubts about the way the board functions (“Everything you need to know about Bihar’s mind-boggling ‘toppers scam’”). However, the issue is going to get sidelined in the current news environment, especially with the Uttar Pradesh polls on the horizon.

So for now, here is a simple solution. There are several prestigious institutes that have their own admission procedures and do not go by board marks. All colleges in India, at least private ones, should derecognise the Bihar State Examination Board, thus making it obsolete. – Ayush Mehrotra

Bad tidings
This is the end of the road for all citizens in this country and a victory for those in power (“How easy is it to tap someone's phone?”). – Hamilton

Different implications
This is a very nice article (“Those who seek to appropriate Bose and Bhagat Singh would do well to learn about their politics”). But today, the terrorism has acquired a very different meaning and form. Bhagat Singh was not a terrorist, he was a revolutionary. – Subhash Ashwath

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This is an analytical discussion of the meaning of nationalism. India’s strength lies in the things that unite its diverse people. The things that divide them destroy the nation. The writer, S Irfan Habib, puts the issue in the right perspective with the reference to Bhagat Singh and Subhash Bose. – Safder Mehdi

Exciting finish
Cleveland Cavaliers under Lebron James had a delightful win in the NBA finals (“NBA Finals: How LeBron James' Cavaliers pipped Stephen Curry's Warriors to the championship”). The defeated Golden State Warriors at the last minute of the game. Golden State had been leading 3-1, yet Cleveland Cavaliers made a great comeback. What made this the most spectacular game in NBA history was that the match was decided on the last minute. Lebron James made good his promise to all Cleveland fans and the state of Ohio. – Devadas V

Unanswered question
This article (“Explained: Why the monsoon was stuck in Karnataka for so long”) does not explain the root cause for the stalling of the monsoon at the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The headline indicated that it would give the reason why the monsoon had not moved north. – Prutha Panhalkar

Memory lane
It’s always wonderful to hear nice things about yourself but I am deeply touched that my voice brings such wonderful memories for the writer, Nate Rabe (“Tina Sani: A bewitching voice that transports across time and space”). My early teens were spent in Kabul in the 1970s as my father worked there.

Up until then, we children were only allowed to watch Disney movies. Kabul was where I saw my first Indian movie, Aradhana and fell in love with the song "Kora Kaghaz Tha Man Ye Mera".

That one song transports me back to the most beautiful times: the majestic mountains and valleys of Afghanistan, that smell of spring in the air, cherry and apple blossoms, the joyous rides to quaint places like Bamiyan and Kunduz, the tape recorder playing favourite songs in the car, closeness of my family and the dreams in my eyes.

So, here's a big thank you for letting my voice be a part of your nostalgia. – Tina Sani

Hue and cry
The debate about the RBI governor is unwarranted (“Raghuram Rajan's letter makes it clear – leaving the RBI wasn't his decision”). It is the prerogative of the government to choose whoever they want for the post. The institution and nation are bigger than individuals. There are many like Raghuram Rajan in the country who are equipped to run the RBI. –Sivaraman Narayanan

No answers
This is a frustrating article to read (“Maharashtra's HIV patients battle an acute shortage of drugs”). We hear a lot about the stock out situation, and it is explained well by the reporter. The effect on the patients infected with HIV is also told well. However, I got no information from this article on why the problem exists. – Gautam

Poetic praise
This was like a breath of fresh air (“What’s nearly as good as reading an Urdu poem? Hearing a recital by Fawad Khan”). The fact that some people still find time to think about such subjects makes one feel the world is still a good place. At a time when we have lost the capacity to distinguish real from the unreal, poetry fills our hearts with hope. – Raj

Playing dirty
Politics has hit a new low (“Glad the PM has accepted his fight is directly with me: Arvind Kejriwal reacts to FIR in tanker scam”). Delhi’s Lt Governor Najeeb Jung portrays that he is a neutral party, but that is not the case. While forwarding the Delhi government’s report on the tanker scam during former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s tenure, he also appended a complaint against the Kejriwal by a BJP leader. This speaks volumes of his neutrality and shows that he can do anything to gain Modi's favour. – Onkar Singh

Land divided
The way the bifurcation was done was wrong (“How Telangana and Seemandhra fought for Hyderabad (and how the battle was won)"). The Central government made Andhra Pradesh feel like a beggar state and its people like second-class citizens. The people of Andhra elected 33 MPs from the Congress to the Lok Sabha in 2009, and yet the party bifurcated it. Before dividing the state, they should have made sure they had created the promised capital and built the necessary infrastructure. The Congress MPs of Andhra betrayed its people. – D Sayeelakshman

Political trap
Your analysis is correct but the actual problem is Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu (“Leaving Hyderabad: Why June 27 has become such a flashpoint for 13,324 Andhra government employees”). He believes that his way is the only way and he does not seek anyone’s suggestions. Why does he want to shift out of Hyderabad when they have eight more years to operate out of there? This is a sorry situation for employees as they are victims of the political traps laid by their rulers. – DP Vastav

Coastal concerns
Pleased to see my friend Vinita Govindarajan’s great piece on coastal erosion in Chennai's Srinivasapuram (“A Chennai fishing hamlet is the latest victim of coastal erosion in Tamil Nadu”). It is a matter of great significance and I hope that the authorities concerned are taking cognisance of this issue, which has not been highlighted by mainstream media. While I'm not too sure of the applicability of CRZ rules and regulations, maybe it's worthwhile to see if these coastal homes are not illegal constructions. – Anirud Sudarsan

Non-issue
I do not think there is need for any debate on the pronunciation of Ramzan! It is Ramadan in Arabic and Ramzan in Urdu (“Why are Indian Muslims using the Arabic word ‘Ramadan’ instead of the traditional 'Ramzan'?”). I use the word Ramzan when talking or writing to my desi friends, but prefer using Ramadan when conversing in English. It is not to pretend to be more Arab – it is simply to use the version that is more mainstream and has a more recognition in a given context. Muslims come from every country on the planet and speak hundreds of languages – I am sure there are other versions of Ramzan and Ramadan too! – Saira Siddiqi

Constructive criticism
This (“I was never a part of JNU, yet JNU is a part of me”) is an excellent article, especially the part about criticisms of JNU students. Having been a student of JNU, I appreciate your criticism. We need to learn multiple ways of speaking. – DV Kumar

Incomplete picture
At best, this article establishes a link to Yamnaya pastoralists (“Why the cow is considered holy in Hinduism”). However, it doesn't answer why Hinduism is stuck on the sacredness of the cow and why other Yamnaya let it go. – Rohan Chawla

Irresponsible report
It is quite dismaying to see that despite being a journalist in India, Ajaz Ashraf could not escape the trappings of a section of society that is bent on giving a bad name to yoga based on conjured-up incidents (“Barring flag hoisting, Yoga Day seems almost at par with Independence and Republic Days”).

Ashraf needs to see how the western world is adopting yoga with gusto without it threatening their religious beliefs. The writer is bent on denying the facts about the origin of yoga despite how the discipline itself is capable of removing hatred and uniting the world.

Hope Scroll.in lives up to its reputation and encourages responsible journalism. – Aditya Sharma

Exploitative policies
Airlines should not exploit hapless passengers (“Airlines should get to decide cancellation charges, not government, says SpiceJet MD Ajay Singh”). To show profits to share holders, they arbitrarily change their policies to make money overnight. The government should be tough with them. – Diwakar Venkataramiah

For art’s sake
The writer has presented shallow arguments (“From horses to headgear, everything the ‘Mohenjo Daro’ trailer has got wrong”). The fact is that we know nothing for sure about the Harappan civilisation. Its script has not been deciphered. And we certainly don’t know about their fashion. When so much about the civilisation is speculation, then why perpetuate definitive theories about it?

The movie may or may not depict the civilisation accurately but we won’t know that for sure unless someone goes back in time and brings evidence. I don't take history lessons from movies because they are just works of fiction. I expect them to use stereotypes, play to the gallery and take artistic liberties. To expect any better would be foolishness.

The movie may or may not be worth my time and money but that will only be because of the performances, storyline etc. – Nitesh Pandey

Better preparation
India has been trying desperately for years to join elite clubs like the NSG and the Missile Technology Control Regime, for which it needs to boost its international ties (“Let’s cut through the hoopla: Here's why Modi’s US visit was disappointing for India”). However, it is more important for the government to tackle crucial issues in the Indian subcontinent, such as the threat of terrorism, the ever-present border disputes, a consensus on the approach to Jammu and Kashmir etc.

The question of expanding trade is another matter, while collaborating for the manufacture of defence armaments manufacture could be another significant milestone.

We need substantive dialogue that can translate into immediate and tangible benefits.

For this, the government needs to do more homework before leaving the Indian soil and less showmanship when abroad. – RS Begur