The referendum is over and now Britain must sort out its relationship to the European Union and the rest of the world. Nevertheless it is still essential that we continue to co-operate closely with the E.U. in the big issues which extend beyond national frontiers, particularly the environment, common security and democratic governance. What is is quite disgraceful and utterly irresponsible is to claim that our decision to leave is just the first step in demolishing the European Union completely.

The idea of Europe working together as a peaceful community arose out of the chaos of the Second World War and it remains as our only hope for a peaceful future. As a boy I walked through the streets of Continental cities still in ruins years after the end of fighting. I have been confronted with detritus of war, wrecked weaponry and machine gun posts in a country lane in Holland. No single country is immune to the scourge of war. A third war in Europe is not inconceivable. Think only of Bosnia quite recently, the siege of Sarajevo and the conflict in Kosovo. Throughout Europe the forces of extreme nationalism and fascism are gathering strength, recruiting all those who are angry and disillusioned to their cause. Their message of distrust, suspicion of ‘the other’ – immigrants, foreigners - must be vigorously contested and rejected. To me it is too reminiscent of the propaganda of Hitler’s National Socialist followers in the nineteen-thirties. There is an undercurrent too of anti-Semitism and anti-Islamism disguised in the speeches of current right-wing politicians, even in our country.

Let us heed the warnings of those on the Continent who have experienced the trauma of war and who have spent their lives working for a better future, a family of European nations co-operating and trading freely with each other and living in peace.

Peter D Leeming

Kendal