The aim of the EU to abolish restrictive trading practices, encourage the free movement of capital and labour within the alliance, to establish closer union among European people and to encourage closer co-operation with other countries offers an exciting prospect for the future.
If a minority of unscrupulous people are exploiting the system that is no reason for pulling the plug on it and reverting to tight border controls and trade barriers.
In any case the exploitation is more than compensated for by the benefits derived from being a member of the union. In Britain's case closer ties with Europe might help us to lose some of the British traditions for which we are now so notorious, namely, drunken behaviour, soaring crime levels, flytipping, neglect of the elderly, high teenage pregnancy rates, the exploitation of decent working people and sending young soldiers to be killed in far away countries.
Singing Land of Hope and Glory while all this is going on may make us feel proud to be British but it is just self deception.
I'm fed up with having to change my money to euros every time I cross the Channel.
I certainly don't want us to revert to the old days when, if I wanted to tour Europe, I had to change currency at every border crossing. You could only avoid this if you carried American dollars or German marks because they were accepted everywhere.
I want to live in an England which is part of a multicultural Europe and I'd like one currency for a start. Furthermore, I want to feel that Europe is moving towards joining together with other countries worldwide.
I am happy in knowing that, according to my DNA, my Celtic ancestors moved here from southern Europe. It is time for my children and their child-ren to be happy in the knowledge that they are citizens of one European nation.
I am sad that some people, like Jack Shaw, seem blind to the fact that this is the only way of securing a future for mankind.
Brian Hanwell