ANOTHER ominous step towards the complete absorption of this country into the EU was revealed in the letter from Clive Smith (Your Letters, December 13).

Mr Smith tells us that at the press conference to announce the Government's proposals for regional government in England, Mr Prescott admitted that under this scheme district councils would be abolished and a single authority would take over.

The Government has announced that voters in England will be given a chance to decide whether or not they want regional assemblies, but the structure for them is already in place.

It is called "subsidiarity" and our political leaders accepted it as part of the Maastricht Treaty. Millions of pounds of our money is being spent on enlarging, sustaining and staffing them. The EU Committee of the Regions has nominated representatives to represent us all, even though none of us voted for them or even know who they are.

It is quite clear that if we are eventually given the chance to vote on this subject and vote "No", this Government would continue to give us further chances to vote until we "get it right".

Once Regional Assemblies have been accepted they will be part of the new EU and will not be answerable to the House of Commons.

The voters in this country have not spotted it yet, but the quasi-parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are nothing more than EU Regional Assemblies.

PHILIP S PREECE, Grit Lane, Malvern Link.