It is noticeable that many of those readers who want “sovereignty returned to Britain” are also those who claim that the local council does not listen to the views of the electorate.

How does their belief that but for interference by the EU key decisions made by British politicians at a national level could be relied upon to be acceptable to the British electorate square with their lack of faith in local politicians’ willingness or ability to do the same thing?

All-powerful nationalist leaders or parties are not seen as an asset by those that live under them, as the pro-EU demonstrations in Ukraine are the latest evidence.

Membership of a larger body of basically like-minded people is a democratic safeguard, which is why the citizens of Eastern European countries have endorsed their governments’ seeking membership of the EU, and why the members of the SNP for all their nationalist rhetoric, wisely want an independent Scotland to be in the EU.

Maurice Vassie, Deighton, York.