IT was great to read in your paper about our MP and Pendle councillors celebrating John Prescott's abandonment of a North West Regional Assembly (and the absorption of Pendle into "Burpendale") but let's not relax too soon. There are powerful forces behind all this.

For over 10 years or so the EU (full name "The European Union of the regions") has been trying to cut the power of national government, bolster the regions and have them answering directly to Brussels. This makes it much easier to complete their plan for a United States of Europe.

So the elected assemblies are not happening (yet!) but un-elected quangos (NWRDA etc.) are still there.

Sucking in our money (£200million per year) and stripping power from your council. They are the ones who handed down guidelines that said Pendle should have extra industrial land (remember the "Keep off the grass campaign") and they set up the quotas for housing land (now used up) which means no more houses can be built until 2016.

So if you want Pendle, Lancashire and Britain to remain independent, oppose the un-elected regional quangos, don't let Brussels divide and rule.

GRAHAM CANNON, UK Independence Party, Cocker Hill, Foulridge.