MAY I please be allowed to comment, and indeed concur, on the letter last week by Mr Hunter and the points that it contained?

The first question I would like to ask, is, why did all of our service men and women, as well as indeed many civilians, fight and die, so that we the British, could eventually end up as part of a European Empire? The Germans and others tried, but were defeated. Now our politicians are giving away our sovereignty, rights, etc., and are generally allowing control of our lives. Is this really what all of our dead, died for and why our people suffered so much for?

When we were taken into the EU, by Ted Heath, we where told it would be purely for trade and Britain would gain enormously. This has not happened. We as a country, spend much more on importing goods from Europe, then they take from us. We are obliged to adhere to the EU rules, etc. Many of the countries in Europe, do not do so. We place some £6,000,000,000 into the EU net.

We now have laws, introduced by Europe, that benefit the wrongdoers, but encroach upon our democratic rights as British citizens, which protects the criminals and wrongdoers, but penalises the ordinary law abiding citizens (the Human Rights Act). Have any of your readers benefited by this new rule? The only person I know who has benefited is Mrs Blair, as her chambers represent many of the criminals and terrorists. We have both a farming and fishing industry, almost totally destroyed, by our implementing the EU rules. Whilst others in the EU receive benefits to expand their farms and fleets.

We have large amounts of immigrants coming to this country which, if they work, their families are entitled to full British benefits, even though they live abroad. Whilst those here can obtain all of the benefits that the welfare state provides. This in spite of the fact that many of our elderly, who have worked and paid into the NHS all of their lives, are being means tested to try and gain liveable payments. We have a housing crisis, where our own people in Cornwall cannot afford to buy, partially because of this influx of immigrants.

Finally, I would like to say that what started out as purely a trading agreement has in fact become an encapsulation of all of our democratic rights. They are all being taken away. If Gordon Brown is eventually forced to hold a referendum, I call on all to vote against the new proposals, and to reject any more encroachment of our British rights. Better still, vote to come out of Europe. The two most prosperous countries in Europe are Norway and Switzerland. Neither of which is a member of the EU.

Councillor Barrie Elliott, UKIP