I DON’T think Tony Woodcock’s contribution to the EU debate, on the matter of control of UK military forces, could be more enormously misguided.

The British army currently is just under 100,000. That is seven divisions. The US army stands at 570,000, which is around 60 divisions. The Russian army stands at about 700,000, 90 divisions.

And there are another dozen countries around the world with far larger standing armies and air forces than the UK: To name China, North Korea, Iraq, Israel, India, Pakistan. The list goes on.

Having said that, we should never be talking up armies and confrontation. The whole point of the EU project, as launched in a speech by Churchill after Second World War, was that never again should Europe fall apart into hugely destructive warfare.

The point then, Mr Woodcock, Is it not blindingly obvious that it is in the interest of the welfare of the people of Europe that we have a joint European-wide defence policy, Mr Woodcock? Europe to pull together one continent with common interest to face down international threats.

But deeply regrettably Mr Woodcock, and so many in the anti-Europe camp, see Europe as 'them' and 'us' and that missing the enormous point we are 'part' of Europe, as all the other countries are 'part' of the project.

HARRY SOAMES

Western Avenue, Branksome Park, Poole

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