I HAVE closely followed the debate on the pros and cons of the European Union and make no secret of my distress that we belong to this body of sleaze, corruption and its anti-democratic practices.
There is a big difference between the letters published from either side of the debate.
Although you may get the occasional letter from people who seem to dislike foreigners, these are few in number and most letters opposing the EU are informative and factual.
Facts are notably absent from letters written by europhiles. They seem to go on about how wonderful it all will be. It reminds me of "jam yesterday, jam tomorrow but never jam today".
Their claims of a prosperous, peaceful Brave New World always lack substance.
Why do they always either ignore the many bad bits or pretend they will be sorted out? They never are.
But what really gets up my nose is the way they talk down to people, as if they have tapped in to some mystical secret which normal folk are too thick to grasp.
Jeanette Jenkinson,
Kingston Road,
Willerby,
East Yorkshire.
...THE Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), which represents the interests of scores of enterprises in York and North Yorkshire as part of its 12,500 membership in the region, welcomes John Prescott's impartial information campaign on regional assemblies (November 3).
There can be no doubt that the apparent lack of public interest is because of the limited information available on the mission and remit of a directly-elected assembly and how it will affect all aspects of our lives.
The success of small enterprises is essential to the region's economy and how they fare under a directly-elected assembly - if we support the idea - will be crucial.
The FSB has one of three business representatives on the present Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly.
Our mission is to ensure our members across the region understand the issues associated with a directly-elected assembly.
We hope to lead this crucial debate by holding seminars on the issue in the run up to next year's election so our members can vote with true understanding - just as John Prescott wants us to.
Peter Pybus,
Chairman of the Yorkshire Dales branch of the Federation of Small Businesses,
Thornton-Le-Moor,
Northallerton.
Updated: 11:29 Thursday, December 04, 2003
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