Europe is about Britain's future, not it's past

12.00.00am GMT Wed 2nd Dec 2009

On 2 December, Graham penned the following response to a letter from Patricia Garnier in the Western Morning News;

Dear Sir,

I would like to re-assure your reader Patricia Garnier ("Reject EU and Turn Back to Commonwealth", 1 December) that the work of the EU does not revolve around such things as "revenge" or "dictatorships".

She clearly remembers the days when the great tribes of Europe would so easily find themselves at war, meaning national sovereignty and the lives of millions were constantly at risk.

The EU was founded to replace war with dialogue, and Europe successfully navigated a potentially catastrophic Cold War and the re-integration of 10 post communist states into the international community.

I am pleased to report that "destruction" and "capitulation" are not in the EU's vocabulary.

Instead the people of Europe, with their distinctive cultures and opinions, elect MEPs to the European Parliament. MEPs and national leaders work to resolve problems that all people of Europe hold in common; for example, energy security, economic prosperity and the effects of climate change.

In doing so we realise that Europeans are not divided by national boundaries but by how we wish to approach and tackle these problems. That is why MEPs find themselves in multi-national political groups with liberals, conservatives and socialists and others.

As for Mrs Garnier's desire to turn back to the Commonwealth, it remains a valuable network of friends but presents some problems. Some Commonwealth countries such as Zimbabwe have moved in directions that are utterly alien to Britain and Europe.

Others have found prosperity alongside their neighbours, such as Canada with the rest of North America, and Australia, New Zealand and India with an association of Asian states.

Europe is about Britain's future, and we would be mad to reject our continental neighbours with whom we share so many values, challenges and prospects.

Yours faithfully,

Graham Watson MEP