I GREW up in Barry, but (through necessity not choice) have worked and lived in mainland Europe, primarily Germany, for many, many years.

I note that some letters to you urge Britain to stay in the EU.

However, many ordinary mainland EU citizens (Germans, Dutch, Spaniards among others) are hoping against hope for a Brexit which, they believe, will lead to a more rapid breakup of the EU in its present form (for it is breaking up).

Apart from the Swiss (who run a referendum at the drop of a hat), no other EU land is allowed a referendum, despite repeated calls for just that (in fact, the EU Commission plans to make all referenda illegal).

Also planned is the future EU membership of Ukraine – a country even poorer than Greece and with 40 million citizens compared to Greece’s 11 million. As EU citizens they also will be free to settle in Britain.

And then there’s the 78 million Turks (including the refractory Kurdish rebels) who’ll be allowed visa-free travel throughout the EU from June of this year onward. Last week in the city of Aschaffenburg there was a violent confrontation between Turkish Nationalists and PKK (Kurds) already living in Germany, and when the police moved in they were attacked by both sides. Do you want this happening in Britain too?

There’s a whole list of reasons, economic and otherwise, why the EU in its present form is untenable, but I’m sure you’ll wish me to keep this short. Suffice it to say that ordinary western Europeans want an EU run on original Common Market lines – as do ordinary Brits; but not being allowed a referendum themselves, they are counting on Britain to show the “Way Out”.

Don’t let us/them down.

Rita Shaw

Heinsberg

Germany