No consent, no entry
, Sir: Congratulations for your alspired article entitled No Consent, No Entry (November 6).
As one who has actively Participated in the local antiCommon Market campaign I would like to take this opportunity of Making some observations. _The Chippenham Anti-Common Market Association held meetings In all the main towns in this constituency during recent weeks. In sAite of the fact that the Meetings were well publicised by Poster, handbill, loudspeaker van and newspaper advertisement, they Were poorly attended, usually Mustering between thirty and fifty People (which, I am told, is a creditable turnout for this sort of Meeting); but they had no effect on the way our MP voted.
I do not blame the people for their reluctance to attend our Meetings: they must be heartily sick and tired of all the arguments fOr and against entry, arguments about a highly complex subject Which few of us can understand.
One thing became clear to me during the course of our campaign. 1,, hat is that in this constituency at least, the numbers of those who 2PPose British entry is nearer the ciO per cent mark rather than the 51 per cent claimed by the latest °Pinion poll. I say this with conviction having discussed the Matter with many hundreds of People.
However, it is quite obvious that Mr Heath is unimpressed with the public opposition to his European venture, and he will continue to pursue his policy regardless of our wishes.
So what can we do about it?
All of us who are opposed to entry should now aim our energies at those MPs who will determine whether or not Britain will enter the EEC. I refer to two main groups: firstly, the Conservative MPs who voted against entry; and secondly, the Labour MPs who voted for. Both these groups will now be subjected to enormous pressures to persuade them to toe their respective party lines.
I therefore suggest that those of us who are opposed to this country signing the Treaty of Rome should write letters to the members of both groups, strengthening the resolve of the first group to oppose the enabling legislation, and seeking to dissuade the second from giving it their support. If we all undertook to write two or three letters a week to these MPs, the cost to the individual would be little but the effect may be great. MPs would certainly take heed if they regularly received letters from all over the country.
If you, Sir, are kind enough to publish this letter and if those who read it write similar ones to their local newspapers, I am sure it will be possible to launch a massive Write-To-Your-MP Campaign whicii might do more to save our country than the many meetings which have been held up and down the country to little or no avail.
I will be interested to hear from anyone who has other suggestions as to how we can save our country from the appalling catastrophe which currently faces it.
R. G. W. Rickoord 26 Dickson Road, Lyneham, Wilts.
Previous page
