Eurosceptics can be found in all parties

I DISAGREE strongly with Don Burslam (Yorkshire Post, June 7) that our nation’s views have been “regularly tested” over the question of continued EU membership.

For I am in favour of Britain’s withdrawal, being a local branch chair of the Eurosceptic Democracy Movement. This recognises the fact that you don’t have to support UKIP to hold such views, with Eurosceptics found in all mainstream political parties.

And, we know that while people can become united around the anti-EU cause, when it comes to general elections other issues are considered before individuals cast their vote. So just because someone doesn’t support UKIP but votes Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat instead, it doesn’t make them supporters of the EU.

What we want, therefore, is a proper referendum, bearing in mind that Ted Heath took us into what we were misled into thinking was merely a customs union, the so-called Common Market.

From: Alan Foster, Moor Lane, Addingham, Ilkley.

FROM the end of 1945 and into the 1950s, Western Europe was developing independent governments of the people, for the people, by the people.

During this post-war period, there were more people enjoying holidays abroad. Apart from convicted war criminals, most of the old enmities were put aside.

Different languages and traditions were part of the enjoyment of a holiday and friendships developed across borders.

For many of us, this could be a base for a European Union – a sort of international club of independent nations – each with its own language, justice system, industry, local foods etc.

So, after 60 or 70 years, what do we have now?

We have a form of petty dictatorship, run by a group of bureaucrats, riddled by corruption, with no regards for people of any country, issuing stupid rules and regulations.

From: Barrie Frost, Watson’s Lane, Reighton, Filey.

TIME and again, the huge market of the European Union is presented as an enormous benefit to Britain; some kind of trading wonderland without which Britain could not possibly survive and certainly could not risk jeopardising by ceasing to be a member of this organisation.

But, surprisingly, all the claims which are made about this so-called major advantage of membership always fail to mention the true facts, the reality of the situation.

Since Britain joined the EU, we has accumulated a trade deficit with Europe of astronomical proportions. In this period, Britain has bought £500bn more products from Europe than Europe has bought from us.

This is not an opinion but a depressingly cold, hard fact, yet there are still some who are in denial and still able to believe this trade deficit doesn’t exist. In 1972 joining the then European Common Market would provide, it was claimed, a huge boost for our trade but the only boost has been to European companies. What advantage is this for Britain?

So, if Britain was no longer a member of the EU, how could Europe possibly impose trade sanctions upon us?

Benefits of legal drugs

From: Jack Brown, Lamb Lane, Monk Bretton, Barnsley.

The response of the Home Office spokesman to the call from Dame Judi Dench and Sir Richard Branson to legalise drugs use (Yorkshire Post, June 2) was entirely predictable.

In 1978, as a member of the South Yorkshire Police Authority, I called for the legislation of cannabis because I had observed my first hard drugs deal and knew unscrupulous dealers would encourage addiction to clients.

Barnsley is a microcosm of national and international drugs corruption too profitable to permit interference by power brokers who can be bought.

If all drugs were legalised the billions of pounds savings on the legal drugs industry – police, solicitors, barristers, security companies, prisons – would be available to the Exchequer.

Drug-associated crime, which makes hell’s kitchens of our council estates and inner cities and tyrannises our citizens, would cease. Soft drugs, sold under licence, would contribute to the economy.

Free, hard drugs, available only through NHS outlets on condition of treatment, would end deaths caused by impure/unquantified dosages, dirty needles etc. Government purchase of the raw materials at source would mitigate the drugs element of international conflict, eg Afghanistan.

It’s such an obvious no-brainer that official opposition has to be suspect.

Machinery, not manpower

From: Michael Booth, The Birches, Bramhope, Leeds.

THERE have been numerous letters and articles in the Yorkshire Post commenting on, and suggesting reasons for, the current high unemployment.

I have read and agreed with many of those comments and reasons, but it seems to me that two major causes have been studiously avoided. During the last 50 years, we have ceased to be the great manufacturing country of yesteryear.

The mining industry, textile industry, cotton and woollen industries, the steel industry, the car and motorcycle industries, the ship-building industry and others, have all gone either totally or to a great extent.

They each had a very high labour requirement which has now gone for good. What factories remain in car production do so using robots, which leads me to my next point.

I believe that we are now so clever that we have managed to shoot ourselves in the foot by inventing those robots, computers and other wonderful machinery, all of which serves to eliminate the need for manpower.

I regretfully believe that the days of anything like full employment have gone for good.