The great Brexit debate is ruled by emotion
SIR – Dan Hitchens provided an excellent and balanced article on the EU debate (Cover story, March 4). There are three basic considerations that we all need to face up to. a) The EU will never achieve the status of a United States of Europe, as member states have a history and differences that the US never had as a new nation created from scratch. The varieties of culture, language and custom, let alone economics, will make that unworkable beyond a certain point. b) Great Britain is no longer “great”, let’s be honest. We do not have the Empire and are not the world player that we once were, significant though we might be in smaller stakes. Do we really want to “go it alone”? c) The EU is not to be embraced uncritically as it is but needs to be reformed. John McDonnell elucidated the Labour stance on this superbly recently when he pointed out that we want stay in the EU, but also to change it. It is not a black-and-white vote between remaining in the EU as it is or the need to exit. When in France recently, I noticed their media commenting on the proposed Brexit, and rather than alarm and condemnation, there was interest and criticism of the EU, seeing Brexit as a symptom of a malaise. There was also concern, though. Perhaps the referendum is just too close and we need more space to reflect and have the facts and figures clearly presented. At present there are too many knee-jerks and emotive positions, particularly from the “little island” mentality that can so easily afflict us. Yours faithfully, Fr Kevin O’Donnell Rottingdean, East Sussex
