I READ with interest, Stuart Marshall’s letter “Good democracy” (Letters, Dec 18) in which he states that ‘the EU is built on the most advanced democratic principles in the world’, and would dearly love to know where he gets his rose-tinted spectacles.

Does he really believe that it is an ‘advanced democratic’ principle to hold an election, or referendum, and then, if the result isn’t what the mandarins want – tell the people to vote again and again until the outcome is the one they want?

Is it an ‘advanced democratic principle’ that, in a union of 27 members, a decision reached by 26 can be scuppered by one dissenting member?

And, whatever Mr Marshall claims, the EU most certainly IS dominated by Germany and France.

A number of ‘smaller’ EU member states have, on occasions, expressed (in private) their disapproval of the way its ‘negotiators’ were ‘wielding the big stick’ and trying to browbeat the UK into accepting their totally unreasonable demands and, despite their protestations to the contrary, punishing us for having the temerity to leave the bloc.

Indeed, on one occasion, when our chief negotiator asked the foreign secretary of one of the smaller states, why he did not voice his concern over these ‘bullying’ tactics, he responded that ‘unfortunately we are not as powerful as you and would, ourselves, be punished for siding with you’. Says it all, doesn’t it?

The EU is about as ‘democratic’ as Russia or China – neither of whom tolerate dissent in any form.

However I do agree with Mr Marshall that the sooner we abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an entirely elected upper chamber and adopt proportional representation in elections, the better.

BOB (ROBERT) READMAN

Norwich Avenue West, Bournemouth