I AGREE with A Lawrence’s letter last week suggesting that the debate on the Economic Union is not clear cut but I do have the following comments: The NET contribution TO the EU for 2011 to 2013 FROM the UK is projected at £6.5 billion a year. As a result of uncontrolled immigration from the other EU countries, it is estimated that 2.3 million residents in the UK were born in other EU states.

I would have thought that peace in Europe is just as much down to joint military forces and NATO membership (and common sense!).

The European monetary policy has failed miserably and the UK is subject to laws instigated by Brussels. In a worldwide economy, the UK trades with the Americas, Africa and emerging economies such as China and India. What was established to improve trading and reduce costs has now grown into a massive and incompetent bureaucracy interfering with democratically-elected governments costing this country jobs and vast sums of money.

The EU is like communism. It seems a good idea in theory, but has yet to work in practice.

Colin Helps, Hazlemere