Unpleasant reading
Sir: John Simpson believes ('We are all sceptics now', 4 June) that Britain needs the European Union. Remarkably, howev- er, despite producing an article of around 1,500 words on the subject, he does not come up with a single convincing reason as to why Britain needs the Union.
Upon close scrutiny, his article produces at least one fact that supports the opposite case. If Britain really is the fifth poorest country in the Union (as Mr Simpson claims), why on earth should we remain part of a system which requires us to be the second largest net contributor?
The facts concerning our membership of the EC/EU do not make pleasant reading. Since 1973, we have accumulated a £100- billion trade deficit with the EC. Opportu- nities to consolidate and extend our trade with non-EC countries have been eroded. We have poured f25 billion into the EC's coffers, as well as (courtesy of the CAP) paying several billion pounds more each year in higher food prices. Our net industri- al output, which rose by nearly 70 per cent between 1958 and 1973, has declined since our entry into the EC.
That somebody as erudite as Mr Simpson can provide so little by way of argument in favour of staying in the EU is an indication of the weakness of his position. Most of the facts support the alternative: namely, a withdrawal. It is time to get out.
Alan Hobson
102 Manor Drive North, York
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