Sir, Perhaps Leslie Fraser-Mitchell (letter, July 30) is rather forgetful in his recollection of the 1975 referendum campaign.
As the BBC TV News Europe Correspondent at the time, I had the privilege of interviewing Margaret Thatcher at the European Parliament in Luxembourg on her first visit to the Continent after becoming Conservative Party leader and just before the campaign started.
Mrs Thatcher certainly made no bones about the referendum being highly political as well as economic. Discussing the forthcoming political battle, she too expressed her utter determination to protect British sovereignty while campaigning for a “yes” vote.
Yours sincerely,
ROBERT ELPHICK,
90 Lupus Street, SW1V 3HH.
relphick@compuserve.com
July 30.
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From Mr Colin Bullen
Sir, Leslie Fraser-Mitchell writes that he was deceived by politicians at the time of the 1975 referendum, but he must bear some blame for allowing himself to be fooled in that way.
During the referendum campaign, Enoch Powell and Tony Benn, among others, warned that the whole European project had the ultimate aim of creating a single European state, yet they received nothing but abuse from many who now recognise the truth of what they said.
How much more culpable are those who continue to profess a belief that the EU is not set fair to become the United States of Europe, in fact, if not in name. Only British politicians persist in the pretence that a Europe of nation states is involved, the continental elites being quite open about the federalist intent of the whole process.
If the constitution is accepted it will spell the end of Britain as an independent country, and no obfuscation of the issue by the Europhiles should be allowed to distort the debate.
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Yours faithfully,
COLIN BULLEN
(Member, National Executive Committee),
Campaign for an Independent Britain,
119 Douglas Road,
Tonbridge, Kent TN9 2UE.
July 30.