We should look to the England football team at the World Cup for some life advice, says Martin Deighton.
We quite rightly persist in our efforts to win football’s World Cup and no-one suggests giving up because we have not succeeded since 1966.
Making changes to the structure, the rules and the nature of the EU is not easy.
But we should not walk away and stop trying.
The UK has in fact successfully instigated many changes in the EU over the past 40 years:
• The recent increase in cod quotas in the North Sea was instigated by Scottish fishermen;
• Changes in the EU/Canada trade deal were made by smaller states within Europe in order to protect our farmers from wheat and other commodity dumping;
• It was a unified effort by the UK and Germany that reduced the punitive charges on credit and debit cards;
• It was the UK that persuaded the EU to fund, support and win the race to map the human genome at the Sanger Centre in Cambridge.
The UK has done many good things inside in the EU. There are more changes to be made and lots to be done.
Martin Deighton
Woodbridge
• To submit a letter for The New European’s letter pages email letters@theneweuropean.co.uk
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