Mr Farrer (Letters, May 26, 'An Erosion of UK Democracy') may be right to praise Magna Carta, but eight centuries after it was signed the UK still has an imperfect democracy with, among other things, gross inequalities of wealth and privilege and an unelected House of Lords.

Mr Farrer boasts of universal suffrage, but it took 700 years for us to achieve it! Elections to the European Parliament have existed since the EU began.

The EU, expanding and developing over a mere 65 years, of course still has faults, but contrary to what Mr Farrer implies, there is no threat from the EU to our freedom of speech, presumption of innocence, trial by jury etc.

Apart from the obvious economic advantages of membership since we joined, the EU has improved workers' rights, funded areas of industrial decline, given us access to all European health services, banned harmful food additives and provided exceptional environment and wildlife protection.

In an era of great international negotiations over climate change and trade agreements our only hope of serious influence is through the EU, which carries immensely more weight that does any individual country, including the UK.

Rather than look inward and backward to great episodes of our increasingly distant past we should turn outward and to the future. If we want to share future greatness we should contribute energetically, not half-heartedly, to the now peaceful association of European nations that for centuries were periodically embroiled in war.

We should acknowledge the grandeur of the European project. It's no time to whimper our complaints and turn our backs on our European partners.

Remember that the EU does not extinguish existing loyalties but embraces them. Provided we remain a member we can continue proud to be, at the same time, local, British and European citizens.

Charlie Haigh

Milnthorpe