31 AUGUST 1962, Page 14

THE COMMON MARKET

SIR,—I see John Terrainc's good point very clearly, but it does not seem to me a very good one. Certainly Europe will only accept Britain's entry into the Com- mon Market for Europe's benefit; but does this ex- clude benefit to us? Is not the basis of a deal that both parties benefit? Is not this mutual benefit the basis of all good business?

On the subject of race and patriotism Terraine is interesting: his patriotism in his second paragraph is towards the 30 per cent, of the British race that lives outside the United Kingdom as well as the 70 per cent, in it; however, in his last paragraph British patriotism means multi-racialism. This is a point that I do not see.

I entirely agree with him about the dangers of the kind of White Europcanism--a kind of super-master- race rubbish—that European fascists are peddling. This is one of the reasons why I want so desperately to see us enter the Common Market. It is only by placing British power (still important on the Euro- pean scale) and British values in the European balance that we can effectively prevent domination of Europe by either France or Germany, or by extremist in- ward-looking regimes or policies.

For Britain to turn her, back on Europe and Euro- pean problems, after having to fight (despite all her peacetime wriggling) two major wars on the Con- tinent, would be an act of political blindness and moral cowardice in every way equal to, and in the same tradition as, Munich.

Nations and nationalism were the cause of modern wars. The Common Market and European Federa- tion put an end to these obsolete phenomena in the very part of the world where they caused most de- struction. But this is surely only an essential, solid and effective first step towards an Atlantic Common Market and Federation, and then a global non- Communist one. Is not the great hope, the exciting

possibility, this eventual building of a free world State? Not by utopian Leagues of Nations or UNs, but step by step, on the basis of trade and technology?

Patriotism in the modern world is not enough, because it is tribal and parochial, an anachronism. We need to think and feel as the hUman race; not as the British or any other not-very-special fraction of it. This is a matter of time, of stages. Europe is the first, but not the last step.

cototF I I HARNETT Co/ bridge House, ra.,,t Carleton, Norwich