Our marginally higher rate of growth seems much less important. Selling houses to each other at inflationary prices is not real growth and the rate of consumer spending has given us a record trade deficit of $55bn - compared with the eurozone surplus of £95bn. Our trade deficit is partly off set by the dividends of British companies that have shifted their investment to the euro-zone, but that does nothing for our unemployed workers or for potential engineering apprentices who now earn a living by serving in burger bars.
The unmentioned test is, of course, the British people. From my experience on the stump, I do not believe the government has anything to fear. Our local hi-tech industries seem strongly in favour. At four meetings with farmers in the last month, they seem to accept, in the end, that if they are to stay in business there is no alternative. The only audience with a majority against were in the building trade, their business being almost all domestic. But even they seemed to be having second thoughts.
There is no US alternative. I was for 10 years on the US delegation of the European parliament, having done business there for years. The US is a foreign country, speaking the same language (up to a point) and we have no votes on Capitol Hill. Congress listens to the prejudices of middle America, not to us. As a high state department official once told me: "We do not want an impoverished cousin hanging on to our coat-tails, we want you in Europe, where you belong."
He was right. My 15 years as an MEP showed what Britain could do in Europe - the single market was our idea. And if we want to make sure Europe does not try to become a federation, we should switch from our semi-detached status to full commitment.
Fred Catherwood
Balsham, Cambs
