I AGREE with Steve Fletcher (Letters, January 30) that this newspaper makes a valiant attempt to give a balanced view on the question of the EU.

In complete contrast to Mr Fletcher, however, my respect is for its willingness to publish the genuine concerns of we millions of citizens who are sincerely opposed to the EU, based on the evidence of our own experiences since having its membership imposed upon us.

It seems that, apart from the sanitised version of the EU given by our MEPs, the only response pro-EU people like Mr Fletcher can give, in the absence of convincing argument, is the accusation of prejudice and scaremongering.

Can I remind Mr Fletcher that the essence of freedom is control over our future. Where we can not have that we loan that power to our MPs for a five-year period. They have no right to give it away to an unelected and unaccountable protector of multinational capitalism with a sugar-coated assembly mis-named "Parliament".

In the one referendum we had, two years after being taken in, we were frightened by the "bogeyman" of mass unemployment should we vote to come out. History showed what a sick joke that was.

Finally, can I once more say that "scepticism" is having doubt. I have absolutely no doubt as to the disastrous effects either of EU directives and regulations, the CAP and the CFP, or my democratic right to oppose them. The best way Europhiles can convince me of the fairness of their criticism is to give us the referendum that is our democratic right.

JIM HOMEWOOD