YP Letters: If we stay in the EU, we may still be drawn into global conflicts

The EU is accused of antagonising Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

MARTIN Crowson (The Yorkshire Post, May 7) writes that we must stay in the EU because the EU has brought peace to Europe.

But the EU didn’t stop the wars in Kosovo and Bosnia and recently it dangerously antagonised President Putin by meddling in the Ukraine and encouraging the people to topple their president which resulted in a war in which more than 9,000 died.

The civil war in Syria was made worse by EU leaders stoking the expectation of western forces helping to topple the Assad dictatorship despite the dominance of militant Islamists in the rebellion. Lack of border controls has resulted in chaos all over Europe resulting in a revival of the far right in Germany and France.

The idea that staying in the EU means ensures peace in Europe reminds me of the notion Queen Victoria had which was that if she married her family members into all the Royal houses in Europe there would be no conflict of interests and hence no more wars.

The First World War rather put the kibosh on that one.

Britain is not a small nation without influence; it has the fifth largest defence expenditure in the world and is a leading member of the Commonwealth, NATO, G20 and G7 and many other global institutions, including the UN Security Council. The British people are sick and tired of being dragged into wars where no pressing national interest is at stake. If we remain in the EU, its plans for a Federal Army means that Britain may be drawn into conflicts which are not of our choosing.

From: Anthony James Sokol, St Johns Way, Hempton, Banbury.

DAVID Cameron may bitterly regret his boast that EU membership will keep Britain safe in future and prevent a third world war. Enlarging the union, he insists, will make us more powerful. As well as planned accession of the Baltic states and Turkey, we know Ukraine is also desperate to join. However, a large proportion of that country’s population regard Russia as their motherland, possibly spurring Vladimir Putin or his successor into retaliatory action against Europe. It is well known the Kremlin regards their Crimean base as strategic, as we found to our cost in the 1850s. Far from enhancing European security, many political commentators blame Brussels and Nato for the current problems in that country. I fear the arrogance emanating from Brussels is the chief risk to world security.