IWAS interested to read in the Journal last week, the letter from Mr.Thomas in reply to a letter of mine that you kindly printed back on 17th April.

He rather harshly accuses me of being nave, not making an effort to get my facts right, and not knowing about NAFTA. Quite a barrage for one letter!

I know about NAFTA, EFTA, GATT and the WTO Mr.Thomas, but I am not really a "fund of information", just a worried English citizen, watching his country being destroyed before our very eyes, by a Prime Minister without permission, or a Mandate, to do so.

My point, which Mr.Thomas seemed to miss, was just that part of our Council Tax is being sent to support an un-elected Regional Assembly, which is controlled by Brussels. Paid for by us, but taking orders from Brussels. Something with which I am not at all happy.

If Mr.Thomas wishes to bandy technical points on the EU, I am more than happy to oblige, pick a topic Mr.Thomas.

I note you say that I "fail to see the benefits of being in the EU". That's easy, in a single word - none!

No, sorry, my mistake! If we adopt the Euro, and give everything we have to Brussels and Frankfurt, then we would save a small bank charge on our holiday money, but that's all.

If it's facts you want, Sir:

FACT: The EU is not "our biggest trading partner". 80% of our trade is internal, leaving 20% with the rest of the world. Of that 20%, less than half is with the EU, about 35-40% of it.

The larger part of the 20% goes to America, Australia and Canada, with others in the international community.

I would respectfully suggest to you, that nobody should seriously alter their entire financial system on the basis of only one-10th of their trading market?

FACT: If we were to leave the EU, (and we should), we could easily conclude many favourable free trade agreements - even Neil Kinnock has said so!

Also, your fears are quite groundless over "tariffs and quotas". We buy more from the EU than they buy from us, hence they would suffer more from any trade sanctions, than we would.

FACT: Britain pays £1.3 million PER HOUR, or around £20 billion per year, to a protectionist bloc that has destroyed our fishing and farming industries, while telling us what we can and can't do with our own money, some of which it returns to us in 'subsidies'! The sad part is that some people actually believe these are free handouts!

Finally, "can we survive outside the EU?" Of course we can! All you have to do, is look at Switzerland and Norway. Norway now enjoys fishing her own waters, just as our fishermen could, if we had our independence back.

Britain is the number one source of inward investment capital and an economic powerhouse. When the workforce and industry work hand-in-hand, (and this hasn't always been the case), this nation is the wealthiest on the planet, in terms of standard of living.

I think it was Hitler's propaganda minister who said that if you repeat a lie often enough, then the people will believe it.

"So don't be fooled Mr.Thomas, the EU does not benefit us, it is a lie!"

Stanley D. Parr, 3, Paddock Close, Pershore, Worcs.