I DO not hope to convert Raymond Knight (EU funding, Letters, October 15) from his anti-EU views (though “there is joy in heaven...”!), but I ask any readers who are influenced by them to consider the following points.
He sees the EU principally in terms of money, and what it costs us. But I, and many in the churches, value the EU because it unites the peoples of our continent, especially the nations which fought the last century’s terrible wars which we are constantly commemorating. I know from long-standing links with the church in Germany how important the ongoing work of reconciliation is.
Some people think that the long period of post-war peace is due simply to NATO and not the EU. But there is much more to peace than weapons and threats. These are only the last resort, and peace is built through exchanges and friendships, through tackling common problems together, through learning each other’s languages and histories, and through the common interests of trade.
If we leave the EU because of the kind of anti-French and German sentiment displayed by Mr Knight, our interests are bound to diverge. Those nations will become more dominant within Europe, not less. We will no longer have the machinery of the European Commission to negotiate differences and find compromises, and tensions will increase. The loss of EU membership will have a disastrous effect on the Northern Ireland peace process, and the internal Irish boundary will become an EU border. What will all that cost?
The money we pay to the EU is a valuable insurance contribution which helps to keep the peace. Of course, we do not always get our own way, but neither does anyone else. What is wrong with that?
I am glad Mr Knight wants to put more money into the NHS. The biggest single threat to our health services is global warming. I suggest a hefty carbon tax on air travel. That would raise funds for the NHS, deter us from polluting the atmosphere with fossil fuel gases, and pay our dues to the EU so that we can go on tackling this and other global challenges together.
BISHOP MICHAEL BOURKE
Little Stretton