EU Membership

The longest period of European peace in history has been achieved while exercising our independence as a nation state

Sir, Your correspondent’s rebuff (letter, Sept 26) of Peter Jay’s intemperate complaint (Opinion, Sept 23) makes the excellent point of how we have benefited from our EU membership, both commercially and in seeing off non-democratic regimes.

The longest period of European peace in history should not be glossed over, either. All this has been achieved while exercising our independence as a nation-state — it is our choice to charge for higher education or to send warplanes to Libya. The EU, indeed, has problems, but it has made a remarkable start. We must discard old-fashioned conspiracy theories and improve this continuing success story.

Lawrence Brewer
Chairman, European Movement, Birmingham Branch, 2003-04
Pershore, Worcestershire