sIR - I note that Philip Bushill-Matthews states in your paper that "EU membership has helped prevent internal European wars between EU member states" and he dismisses Nato. This pre-supposes that one of the original six EU founding members was going to start another war and needed to be handcuffed in a federal block capable of policing that situation. What xenophobic rubbish!

The original six were Luxembourg (with a not-so-threatening population the size of Southampton), Italy, Holland, Germany, Belgium and France, all modern peace loving democracies. Now which one is Mr Bushill-Matthews pointing his finger at? Which one needed EU control? Is he really of opinion that one of these wanted to get up from the floor and keep fighting?

Come on, it was Nato which kept the peace in Europe from the Cold War Soviet threats, not six tired countries who just wanted to trade. However now, by political domination, we have been included in a new style Soviet bloc just waiting to pull faces at the USA and dismiss Nato.

MIKE NATTRASS,