Both head and heart say yes to the EU
SIR – Melissa Kite (Notebook, April 29) is right that the EU Referendum is a matter for both the head and the heart and the most important aspect is not ultimately the economic/financial arguments put forward by both sides of the debate. Whatever its present imperfections, which bear no relation to the distorted information on the EU regularly published by the English press, the EU represents a movement – still a work in progress – to change the paradigm of European history following the catastrophes of the last century, not to speak of the previous ones; it is also the result of decisions taken by successive UK governments of both major parties, along with their European counterparts, over the past half century and today commands the support of a large majority of the House of Commons. The key, as Jean Monnet saw, was that whereas human nature does not change, when nations and men accept the same rules and the same institutions to make sure they are applied, their behaviour towards each other changes. A lifetime spent working with nationals of other countries in different areas of international cooperation has convinced me of the truth of Monnet’s vision. Hence both my head and my heart tell me that the UK should not only remain in the EU but should play a leading role in the future in its development to its final form. Yours faithfully, David Quinn Paris
