SO, Bill Morehead believes UK citizens should be pleased to be contributors to the European Union (HAS, June 22). Let us remember we contribute £4.6bn each year and that’s going up to £7bn. For 12 years, EU auditors have refused to sign off the accounts because of fraud and waste.

As far as national governments making decisions, that’s a joke; 80 per cent of our legislation, regulations and laws are issued by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.

The EU instructed our Government to close thousands of our post offices – what benefit have the citizens of Britain derived from that?

Every week, thousands of civil servants arrive in Brussels to take instructions from the EU masters.

The infamous Lisbon Treaty means the abolition of national sovereignty. The purpose of this constitution is to found a single superstate, as opposed to a federation of independent countries trading together, with its own armed forces, police force, judiciary and currency.

Winston Churchill’s involvement with the European Movement was based on an alliance of sovereign countries which would remain independent. Prior to his death he protested against Britain’s entry into the Common Market – “We are with Europe but not of it, associated but not absorbed”.

John Waiting, Guisborough, East Cleveland.

IN the age where political arguments that are less than transparent should be treated with public contempt, I note that EU fanatic Bill Morehead (HAS, June 22) misquotes Churchill and again fails to mention that he writes, according to the internet, as a North-East branch consultative member to the European Movement and chairman of the North-East European Movement.

The EU(SSR) is not undemocratic so much as openly anti-democratic, and Mr Morehead’s lack of openness merely advocates such a standpoint.

I have no doubt Churchill, as an old soldier, had no wish to see another war on European soil.

Similar points were made by him on many occasions, and are surely shared to this day by all.

However, on May 11, 1953, he stated: “We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked, but not combined. We are interested and associated, but not absorbed. And should a European statesman address us and say ‘Shall we speak for you?’ we should reply ‘Nay sir, for we dwell amongst our own people’.”

Or: “If Britain has to choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea.”

Jim Tague, Bishop Auckland Conservatives.