EEC and food prices
Sir:. It is to be wondered how far the assessment of Mr Wistrich (Spectator, May 25, in answer to Douglas Jay) °,11 food prices, compares in accuracywit" his circular to local newspapers two years ago. In this, he went out of his way to assure us that the 'Great Debate' on the EEC was over: no 'fundamental renegotiation,' and even, the prospect ot our total withdrawa from the EEC, are burning issues, urging even Mr Campbell Adamso his latest outbursts. Still, we must give some credit to Mr
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n to Wistrich. In his letter to Y°' (paragraph 2), he admits that the CAP, at least originally, was an expensive venture for Britain to enter into. True,: since negotiations to join the EE' began in 1970, our food prices hay, more than doubled, coinciding wit" EEC tariffs and levies against CO monwealth and other products (0t latest round on January 1 this year/, intervention boards, the distorting ef,. fects upon world grain suppliers of 01-1„' entry, the advice of pro-Comm°' Market Governments telling Common' wealth suppliers to find other markets. It is to be noted, too, that Mr Wis trich does not actually claim to have foreseen the main reason he nov/ claims for dearer food — the growth ill world population, which has s° remarkably entered a new and acute phase of crisis since Britain began t° harmonise with the CAP. ModestY. surely deserves applause here. In the absence of this world poPL-11,3A' tion factor, however, the CAP wow' apparently be left standing bare a5 9 major cause of our dearer food. Wistrich would then, I imagine, hav„`„ to give his full-hearted consent to Godber's statement to Parliament 011A February 21, 1973, in which he saiy that we were engaged in raising Britis prices' towards Community levels duep ing a five-year period. , The news of protest, both agains' inflation and the EEC, currentlY emanating from Denmark, only serve5 to show the gross ingratitude of that people in return for the benefits of the EEC. Not even their former Er0 partners, Norway and Sweden' a complain so loudly about their infla' g tion, nor bemoan their non-adherence to the EEC.
May I take the opportunitY complimenting Mr Wistrich again, thl5 ' ILtole for telling us (BBC's Study on 3, ' uaY 3) that the late Sir Winston Ch hill did not intend Britain to join ' of urcContinental union. This — a recant . °e of the major propaganda planks toe Pro-Common Market platform -Must surely herald a fundamental Znegotiation of the relations between ur Wistrich and the European ; -,overnent. 1 p A final point, of great concern: Mr ,teter Walker, Shadow Secretary for . AllicittstrY, has just said (BBC News, 1 aY 25) that world prices are now at il fail as stabilising, and even beginning to I Oh, Mr Wistrich, what shall we do
.. Ivor R. Johns
11 '153 Heanor Road, Smalley, Derbyshire
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