Stan Harrison makes a factual error when he says that Tim Farron is being undemocratic when he proposes a British return to the EU by 'setting aside the referendum result' (Letters, July 7, 'Voters showed dogged nature').

Democracy is, as Mr Harrison points out, the 'rule of the people' which in the UK is administered by parliament - not by mob rule.

The law which was passed last year to set up the EU referendum said nothing about the result being legally binding - it was always intended as an advisory process, but this appears to have been overlooked by those who prefer short slogans to reasoned argument. In order for the referendum result to become law Britain must repeal the 1972 European Communities Act, which can only be done by parliament - not by a referendum result, nor by the Prime Minister alone invoking Article 50.

In the UK the rule of law is sovereign - this is our democratic process. The people choose their parliamentary representatives. The MPs propose and vote on bills. If passed, they become laws which rule what we can and can't do.

This process, which has been developed over several hundred years, has many safeguards to reduce the likelihood of corruption and intimidation - to make sure that the best decisions for our nation are made after considered reflection and recourse to expert opinion.

The referendum result, where 39 per cent of the population voted to leave the EU, was influenced by inflammatory rhetoric from political leaders and the media, and even the boast that the people no longer wished to hear from experts.

The third biggest reason for voting to leave was 'because everyone else is'. The second biggest search on Google after people had voted in the referendum was: 'What is the EU?' It is no wonder that in calmer moments of reflection over a million voters regret their decision to leave the EU - in the same way that many of those who take part in lynch mobs later come to regret being swept along by mass emotion.

The continual repeating of lies by the leave campaign, such as the claim that the UK gives £350 million pounds a week to the EU, owes less to the process of democracy and more to Hitler's famous advice for tyrants: "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it."

If we still believe in democracy in this country then it will be parliament who decides whether we stay or leave the EU, and Tim Farron is being perfectly democratic by making it clear what he intends to do for those who vote for him.

David Burbidge

Sedbergh