Michael Heylings attempt to deconstruct my letter of September 27 makes some fair points.

However my view of the European Union has been formed by practical (and detrimental) experience, not political ideology.

I would answer his points as follows:

We do not have a trade deal with 80 countries. The EU does. The E.U. is protectionist favouring producers (and big business) over consumers.

This keeps food prices artificially high by imposing tariffs on those nations able to produce more efficiently.

The pound has certainly fallen, but this is hardly surprising given the uncertainty caused by conceited MPs and others who consider that ordinary people are incapable of taking a major national decision and must therefore be overruled for their own good.

He claims that families on lowest incomes are being hit hardest by rising living costs, but since the Conservatives came into office in 2010 the income tax threshold has been raised from £6,450 to £12,500.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, almost 12 million people earn less than £12,500 (approximately 43 per cent of working adults) and thus pay no tax at all.

The richest one per cent pay 27 per cent of our nation’s total income tax.

My claim that lives had been adversely affected by this country’s involvement with the EU did not mention living standards, but was intended to encompass immigration, healthcare, agriculture, fisheries, employment, etc.

I would like to point out that austerity was necessary only because of the profligate spending of the previous Labour Government.

This led to the biggest budget deficit in peacetime history and the biggest banking collapse ever, leaving the UK virtually bankrupt.

Now the UK has the lowest jobless rate for 42 years.

Half the EU rate.

The percentage of laws passed by our Parliament are inconsequential, as the ‘Metric Martyr’ case established the principle that where there are differences between EU and UK law, the EU is superior and UK law must be amended or set aside.

In other words, when the EU passes a law we must abide by it whether it suits us or not.

Regarding civil servants, the EU has to run a parliament.

The UK has to run a country.

Lastly I would remind Mr Heylings that the last truly great Prime Minister of this country also had a very rocky start to her premiership.

– Terry Haile, Monmouth.