I READ Anthony Reeves’ recent letter in the Review and I note that he makes the usual, erroneous, Eurosceptic claims of how the EU damages our economy. 

The UK was the country which pushed hardest, in the EU, to end state aid to business.

Yet, still,  most countries in the EU do give aid to failing companies.

If he would care to do a little research he would find this is so.

The EU is very keen to keep the citizens of all member countries in employment, this has a lot to do with it. 

He wonders why we are having trains built by Siemens in Germany when we could have them built by Bombardier in Derby.

Although the British government awarded the contract for Thameslink to Siemens, the subsequent Crossrail contract was awarded to Bombardier.

I would like to point out that Bombardier is, actually, a Canadian company, a multinational which seems to underinvest in its British operation! 

He also mentions Hinckley Point being built by the French firm, EDF. He failed to mention that EDF is state owned and that the,  state-owned Chinese outfit CGN are also involved.

He seems to lay the blame for this at the door of the EU.

Since when did the EU, basically a trading bloc, start awarding contracts for building work in member countries?  What a bizarre inference! 

If he were to do another bit of, very basic, research he would find that it was the British government which awarded these contracts. 

Mr Reeve also claims that the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the EU were voting for independence.

In as much as we are a sovereign nation,  we have independence.

The EU do not make our laws. We have legislation, all of which, during our time as a member, we have had a hand in drafting.

We have regulations,  which we have also helped draft.

If we leave the EU without a deal, we will come under WTO rules.

The last time I checked we did not have an elected body of representatives in the WTO.

Also the WTO have similar regulations on state aid. I believe the American government are using these very regulations in a grievance it has with Airbus.

Furthermore, we will have a very large group of nations who could have the ability to interfere in any putative deals we may put forward.

Of course we will then have to renegotiate a deal with the EU.

Or does Mr Reeve feel that we should just ignore one of the biggest trading blocs in the world, which is right on our doorstep?

Then, of course, there is America.

Apparently, they will offer us a “great deal”,  Is that great for them or us?

With America we will have the independence to accept their regulations.

Oh, that is truly freedom!

It’s nice to know that Mr Reeve values democracy so much.

I’d just like to say, it took many years for us to join the EU.

We have been a member for over 40 years (and in that time we have gone from the “sick old man of Europe”  to one of the wealthiest nations).

To leave was never going to be easy, we were always going to have to make a deal with Europe if we left and with the 80 odd countries with whom we have, very good, deals through our membership of the EU.

If we leave the EU, it will not be the end of a process, it will be the start of more negotiations.

That 17.4 million have caused the other 43 million of us a lot of problems.

Isn’t democracy a great thing, – Andy Simons, Lydney.