Eu referendum - stay or go?

There is absolutely no reason why the rest of the EU should allow a separate UK to have generous trading arrangements and for European owners of industrial plants like Nissan to continue with their investment policies.

If Mr Sunak wishes to persist with his economic argument he should note the view of the Governor of the Bank of England that being in the EU is of positive economic benefit – and he’s a Canadian with an outsider’s objective view.

I suspect what Mr Sunak and many other Tories really object to about the EU is that many of the European nations have governments based on social democratic principles and for them working in international co-operation is an ideal rather than a matter of pure pragmatism.

The EU had its origins in the aftermath of the Second World War when the politicians of France and Germany in particular recognised that the best insurance against armed conflict was economic co-operation. The seeds of rampant nationalism exist in Europe today; it is only by nations having more to lose from pursuing narrow national interests than working together that disputes leading to armed conflict can be prevented.

Working with other nations is going to be hard at times and involves compromise, which Boris Johnson, donning the mantle of national hubris, seems to regard as a loss of sovereignty. He must surely know that all democratic politics involves compromise; maybe he thinks that as PM of a small, fragmented island nation off the north-west coast of Europe he will need to compromise less.

I prefer to say to our friends in Europe: “Let’s talk and work together.”

John Harris, Richmond

YOUR correspondent Martin Crowson is completely wrong on the EU (D&S Times, Mar 4). The EU is a political union, forming by stealth over many years into the United States of Europe. We were taken in by deception by Edward Heath, and the subsequent referendum was won by more lies.

Why would this country turn to Europe for salvation when we had been instrumental in saving them from defeat by the Germans? Our security since has been due to the Nato Alliance, not the EU.

The EU is now proving incapable of sorting the immigration problem, which is likely to see the end of European civilisation as we know it.

As a consequence of membership of the EU, Greece and other southern European countries are bankrupt and suffering high unemployment and hardship.

Far from taking this country back to the 1950s, leaving the EU will be liberation.

We will regain our sovereignty and our elected government will make our laws and control our borders. We will make our own trade agreements with the EU, and the wider world. We will reclaim our fishing industry which was given away, leading to decline and depression in former prosperous towns.

We will make our way in the world by our own efforts, without paying £55m a day to the EU.

We will have friendly relations with our neighbours in Europe but have no wish to be ruled by an unelected, undemocratic, bureaucratic EU.

RM Robinson, Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe

Lighting the way WHAT is all this talk of “a leap in the dark” if we should come out of Europe? We flourished outside Europe for centuries, in all kinds of different and difficult circumstances.

I am reminded of the time when Britain faced a far greater darkness and our courageous King George VI in his Christmas broadcast 1939, quoted from a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins.

Changing the words slightly, my message to David Cameron and his nervous friends is: “Go out into the darkness, and put Britain’s hand back into the hand of her God.

That will be better than light, and safer than a known way.”

Judith Bull, Guisborough

I HAVE read with interest the various letters regarding Rishi Sunak’s statement that he is voting to leave the EU.

Mr Sunak has one vote, exactly the same as every registered voter.

While that is his opinion, it bears absolutely no weight at all.

An explanation, however, from our MP as to why he voted for cuts to the disability allowance would be of interest to many of the people he purports to represent. Perhaps he could enlighten us on why he chose to potentially put some people receiving this much needed allowance at risk of further distress and hardship.

I don’t read his column because I’m not interested in his weekly updates on how many times he has had his photograph taken. However, a much better idea would be for it to advise what he has voted on and the reasons why.

Jill McMullon, Middleton Tyas