EUROPE: Leave and we lose influence

Congratulations to Peter Edge on his wonderfully clear and beautifully put letter, (Northumberland Gazette, June 9).

On June 9, there was a pro-leave broadcast after the news on Channel 4 that made me feel ashamed should any of our allies in this world see it. Then, I received a leaflet through the post, as everyone has, for the ‘Leave’ campaign of exactly the same tone.

It seemed to be set against Turkey, Macedonia and Albania, and all others asking to join the EU. What a way to conduct our international relations. Of course, these countries cannot be considered for membership until they reach certain standards.

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Furthermore, every member of the EU has the power to veto new applications, and you may be sure that other countries besides the UK will use the veto when necessary. People of my generation will remember how the UKs application was vetoed at first.

The “facts” in the leaflet and on the broadcast seem to be an unpleasant form of propaganda.

Of course, not all is right with the way the EU works. What great institution is good in every way?

Have you ever moaned about our Government, county council, medical services, education, police, newspaper, or whatever it is that we use and on which we rely?

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But we have to try to put things right and it is certain that we stand more chance of doing this from within the EU than from outside.

Leave and we lose influence and any chance of leadership. Leave and we make enemies. Leave and we become little, (not Great) Britain. Leave and we become the Disunited Kingdom.

Remain and we can work to improve things and put them right together with our European allies, and benefit from all that is good.

And you know, if we vote leave, it will take years before we are properly out, and when we finally are, we shall not get another chance to come in for a very long time.

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If we stay, but matters in the EU take a turn for the worse and become impossible, we can then come out and we will not need a referendum, just a simple Act of Parliament. It can happen at any time in the future. But not the reverse.

Ben Hopkinson,

Warkworth