LETTER: Stop snubbing Germany's goodwill

Sir: Nigel Jones is seriously confused about both German and British attitudes towards Europe. No one who understands modern Germans can seriously believe for a moment that there is "... a continuing German drive to dominate Europe", except in the addled minds of English Europhobes.

Yes, Germany does tend to dominate Europe at present, but this is inevitable for two reasons. First, the most populous state and largest economy will naturally tend to dominate, no matter what ambitions that state does or does not have; and second, its domination has been happening partly by default, as Europhobic attitudes and policies in this island increasingly lead British views to be ignored and influence to be minimised across the Channel.

Which leads directly to Mr Jones's most serious delusion. Yes indeed, English foreign policy has been to resist European hegemony, at least since the time of Elizabeth I. However, today this means adopting exactly the opposite of the Europhobic position. Withdrawal of Britain from Europe would guarantee the very European hegemony against England that England has rightly feared.

I am sure, as a Scot, that there would be another result of British withdrawal from Europe - the break-up of the United Kingdom. Scots, by and large, do not share English Europhobic attitudes. Scottish independence within the EU would soon follow. You see, Mr Jones, many Scots would rather be yoked with Sicilians than absurd bands of little-Englander Europhobes ... even if occasionally one is a renegade Scot like Teddy Taylor.

JIM MANGLES

Wortham, Suffolk