Why have all the political parties gone quiet on Europe? Why have we not joined the euro as promised?

Britain has already dropped from 4th place to 5th in the top world economies and that tread will continue because as a nation we are too small to carry on trading in sterling in the hope that (as some would have it) the collapse of the euro.

Remember how they would say the euro would bankrupt the EU? In reality it has grown stronger and is almost equal now to the American Dollar which is in decline.

The European Union is now to be 27 countries and still expending as will of course the currency within the zone.

Then there is all the hostility around the world mainly due to religious beliefs with a lot of hatreed towards Britain, therefore we need all of Europe on our side rather than have them treating us as outsiders, on the fringe and being ignored.

Europeans are not foreigners, we here have always been European. In fact why treat anyone as foreign?

Just because we live on a different piece of land divided by sea or worse of all, just a line drawn on a map, should we be considered as an alien? People do come in different sizes and colours, but so what?

Political leaders go to church claiming their God is the one who looks after them, (not all of us) which is hardly generous or kind, indeed damned selfish.

Charles Kennedy was the best opposition leader we had until recently. He is the first to agree that the subject of Europe was not on the last General Election agenda because it might have proven a vote loser.

British business was looking for leadership and we now don't have that and that is why so many firms have gone abroad, or gone bust.

British subjects are leaving the country as we are over taxed.

I have for many years given the example of us as the corner shop struggling to stay open and putting up prices (taxes) while Europe is the large supermarket who have grown and taken a huge chunk of the trading market through competitiveness and if we were here using the euro, we would benefit.

The euro would bring in investment, not stifle it. The Pound has seen its best. We are not the British Empire any longer.

RICHARD GRANT, Burley.