Letters: Minds changed on Europe

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British Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech on the European Union (EU), at the British Museum in London. Prime Minister David Cameron warned that if Britain left the European Union it would put peace and stability on the continent at risk (Getty Images)

So now we know. The great and the good from President Obama downwards have spoken. They variously claim if we leave the European Union, bang goes security, we will no longer speak for the US in Europe, the economy will nosedive, there will be no cheap air fares, financial stability will be impaired, exports will fall, there won't be European cooperation with UK police forces, we won't have trading agreements, extradition will cease, we will be isolated, the financial sector will suffer, house prices will fall, unemployment will raise, national income will fall, productivity will plummet even more, and the dastardly French will be vindictive.

Even assuming all this is true what about freedom? The historical evidence shows bureaucracy begets more bureaucracy, that bureaucracies always succumb to corruption (the EU cannot even provide audited accounts), that they always put their own bureaucratic interests first, that they are not accountable, that they are largely above the law even to the extent of some bureaucrats avoiding personal income tax, that they bully, that they are hugely incompetent and wasteful and most of all that they inevitably become utopian and totalitarian. Totalitarian states have always depended on bureaucrats and bureaucracy as the utopian EU does.

In 1940 Britain stood alone in defence of freedom. Whatever the great and good may say, we should not now ignore threats to freedom in 2016 or the need to again stand alone. After all, from Blair downwards they favoured joining the Euro and that would have been a monumental disaster. If they guessed wrong then why should we assume they are right in their wild guesses and forecasts now, particularly in light of their abysmal track records?

Peter Moyes

Brightlingsea

Mr Cameron is way off the mark with his claim that Brexit will lead to increased wars.

I lost two dear uncles to German bullets in war, and so back in 1973, I supported our entry into the European Community.

It seemed to me that anything that helped stop European countries declaring war on each other, must be a good thing.

Forty years later, and my views have changed diametrically. I now see the first European Civil War as being just around the corner, as countries try to break from the suffocating grip of a federal Europe in Brussels.

Dai Woosnam

Grimsby

If you really wish to see the EU look at how it dealt with Greece and look at the effect it has had on the young. Over 55 per cent of the under 25s are out of work.

I am deeply pro Europe, literally a European by blood, culture and education (English public school, universities in France and Switzerland) and can see clearly that the people who 'can do' - do. The others teach, administer and create self-perpetuating organisations like the undemocratic EU (full of highly paid 'Kinnock-type' apparatchiks with no democratic mandate).

The self-made entrepreneurs (the creatives) who exercise judgement on a daily basis (JCB, Dyson, etc) are mostly in favour of leaving.

Leaving the EU does not mean turning away from Europe.

Oliver Thiebaud

No address supplied

An alternative future for Labour

The Labour Party will never return to power in Westminster until it acknowledges that first Scottish devolution and now the rise of the SNP has destroyed forever the historic two-party duopoly of the Tories and Labour.

When the penny drops they will have to reluctantly accept that the only way to return a genuinely social democratic, left-leaning government ever again is by uniting with all non-Tory parties in our now more diverse multi-party system to drive through the electoral reform of genuine Proportional Representation.

They will still have to persuade the electorate of the relevance of such a political philosophy - but at least they will know that such a shift in the electoral balance in all parts of the United Kingdom, in terms of the overall share of the popular vote, is already well within reach, though buried by the first-past-the-post-system. This system suited the duopoly well but is now discredited, palpably unfair and serves only the profoundly undemocratic long-term dominance of Conservative power.

Keith Farman

No address supplied

Children must be put first in Scotland

With the Scottish Parliament election now over, it is now time to get down to business and for our MSPs to hit the ground running.

It should of course be highlighted that we would like to pass our thanks to all the political parties for the commitments they gave in their manifestos to address the needs of vulnerable children and young people in our society

The Coalition’s vision, to make Scotland one of the best places in the world for vulnerable children and young people to grow up in, is a bold one, but one that our newly elected MSPs should aspire to.

More than one in five pupils are identified as having Additional Support Needs, and so if we are to reduce the attainment gap, we must provide them with the care and support they need, whether they are in mainstream or additional support for learning schools.

There has been a great focus on improving the lives of children and young people who have been in care. This aspiration must be turned into a reality and a root and branch review of the Scottish care system undertaken. We are heartened that the First Minister is sympathetic to this proposal.

There is a cross-party consensus that much more needs to be done to help the increasing number of children and young people suffering from mental health problems. A refocusing on preventative support and early intervention is to be welcomed and we await the proposed new Mental Health Strategy due out this year with interest.

We would urge our MSPs to be bold in their efforts to close the attainment gap and deliver a more equal society, making Scotland one of the best places in the world for our vulnerable children and young people to grow up in.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition

Tom McGhee, Managing Director, Spark of Genius

Duncan Dunlop, Chief Executive, Who Cares? Scotland

Sophie Pilgrim, Director, Kindred Scotland

Niall Kelly, Managing Director, Young Foundations

Liz May, National Co-ordinator, Action for Sick Children Scotland

Action on the BBC

I would not wish to question John Whittingdale’s personal sexual preferences, but I think that screwing the BBC is a cultural step too far.

Tony Hill

Colyton, Devon