As a life-long supporter of the European project and a former (faceless) Eurocrat I have to agree, however reluctantly, with Peter Downey (Letters, 22 February). A No vote on 23 June would at least allow the other members to go forward. A Yes vote, unless massively supported and accompanied by a real engagement by the British government, risks a permanent UK brake on progress. A half-hearted Yes vote will only provide a temporary respite, not resolve the question for a generation.
That the EU is not a perfect construction is obvious, but with a right to vote in the council according to a method that the UK agreed in the Lisbon treaty, a UK commissioner and a number of MEPs according to its population, it is difficult to argue that Brussels is dictating to the UK. Inside the EU, and with a highly efficient Foreign Office, the UK is capable of safeguarding both its interests and the interlinked wider interests of the union. The balance of power that dictated European politics in the 19th century gave us the Somme and Normandy. I would rather see the balance being played out peacefully in the council of ministers. If the UK leaves, it will no longer be able to play its part in maintaining that balance.
David Hollister
Lyon, France
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