Joining the EU

Paul Smith wonders (October 11) why The Times continues to print the "drab nonsense" that I constantly write. He also asked a number of questions such as: Why do the majority of the British people want to stay in the EU? If the EU is so bad, how come the UKIP has vanished from the agenda? Why is Tony Blair such a strong believer in EU integration?

However, here are a few questions from me: Why is the German economy in such a mess? Why do the Dutch, previously the most enthusiastic nation regarding the single currency, now want the guilder back?

Why are many big business leaders, the Federation of Small Businesses and Institute of Directors opposed to Britain joining the EU?

Why has ex-Prime Minister, Baroness Thatcher, stated that Britain would be better off out of the EU? And why has a group of British Labour Party Members of Parliament formed an organisation called "Labour against the euro" (Late) and are now campaigning against British membership of the single currency?

The answer to the above questions is that the Germans are no longer in control of their economy and cannot set interest rates or float their own currency to their advantage.

The Dutch want the guilder back as the inflation created by Euro membership is hitting them hard. And many influential people in the UK realise that the massive loss of fiscal sovereignty would be extremely harmful to our UK democracy and economic well-being, including many British politicians, some of whom are questioning if EU membership has any value to us.

The answer to Paul Smith's questions are: a growing number of people in the UK have come to realise that the EU is not good for us and now wish to quit - a figure which is steadily rising.

The UKIP has far from vanished and expects to have 10 MEPs elected during the next Euro elections in 2004.

Out of the other leading British political parties, it is the only one with a growing membership, unlike the Labour and Conservative parties, the membership of which is in decline. The only reason you do not see much of UKIP is due to a media blockade by the Europhile BBC and Labour and Tory press which refuse to give space to UKIP just as the massive march and rally in London during October 2000 and the largest mass lobby of parliament in 2001 against the Nice Treaty was not publicised. And the fact Tony Blair is so enthusiastic regarding the EU is due to his own vanity - he wants a bigger stage on which to strut and wants to be the first elected president of the EU - which has nothing to do with the well-being of his own country or people.

If Paul Smith wants to find out just how bad the EU is, then I suggest he votes for Malta to join when the referendum is called.

Once he discovers how Maltese democracy will be wrecked, and despite how he votes, he will have no influence over those who will be making Malta's laws and running the Maltese economy.

The problem with voting to join the EU is that escape will not be an option - life then will be truly drab!