St range silence
Sir: You are indeed right (September 22) to notice the silence in Europe, a silence, now that the euphoria of the 'The Ode to Joy ' is quiescent, broken only when President Pompidou's next bill lands with the proverbial ' sickening thud' in this country.
But faint hearts conquer easily these days, and now they are reinforced by the publication of a Fabian pamphlet by Mr Peter Shore: one surely would not turn to that for an objective statement on Europe, but its entertainment value must be enormous. No doubt in the past there were those who objected when man first pooled resources and sovereignty with his fellows to form a political community; and who objected when the various Saxon kingdoms accepted the overlordship of Wessex even though such a move put England in a better position vis-a-vis invaders, Notwithstanding the constant objections of the faint-hearted, the true significance of Britain's position today can be seen if we look hack, for example, to the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Realising that Britain could never allow a single power to dominate Europe, Pitt allied with the remaining independent powers to oppose French hegemony and thereby to secure British interests, particularly those of trade, on the Continent. Those interests are just as important today.
The 'sickening thud ', as M. Pompidou lands us with his next demands for the French farmer, is more immediate than Britain's future political and economic position in Europe. But it is a non sequitur to conclude that is more important. Nigel Saul
President, Oxford University Monday Club, Fleetford College, Oxford
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