WHILE Parliament is debating the proposed EU Treaty it is worth reminding ourselves of the seeds that led to the current position.

Winston Churchill's practical mind led to appointment of practical people to lead the forces during the Second World War. He explored political structures that would enable European countries to work together for the good of all.

In 1946, he called for a kind of United States of Europe. In 1948, he chaired a conference on the International Co-ordination of Movements in The Hague. It recommended creation of a European Deliberative Assembly and a European Special Council, to prepare for political and economic integration of European countries and adoption of a Human Rights Charter and a Court of Justice.

Human rights were at the centre of thinking.

In 1968, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands signed the treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Energy Community Atomic (Euratom) known as the Treaty of Rome.

In 1972, the UK signed the treaties of accession to the European Communities and in 1975 ministers decided to establish the European Parliament. The constructive development of the union may seem slow, but every aspect has to be understood by all countries. The new treaty makes sense of the old treaties.

Bill Morehead, Darlington.

OH that the European Union was the delightful model of democracy and benefit to Britain that your Europhile correspondents and MPs make it out to be.

It seems with the likely ratification of the EU Constitution/Treaty we are about to witness possibly the biggest betrayal of British interests ever.

Deceptions include: the constitution is not the same as the treaty. Although the revised treaty enables our MPs to act as traitors in avoiding their pledge for a referendum, the foreign affairs committee, European scrutiny committee and several EU leaders acclaim it as principally the same.

Europhiles claim their version of the treaty will allow more say for nation states, but deny the parts that clearly give more power and lead to a federal state.

I think, despite the enormous cost, on balance we need to be part of a union, but like many other Britons and Europeans, more in the form we were promised before stealth and deception took over.

Given how powerless the public feels in the face of many MPs' contempt and lack of respect for their wishes for a referendum, their only recourse will be to let MPs know they will show equal contempt at the ballot box.

John Heslop, Gainford, near Darlington.