THE UK Independence Party's latest scheme is to try and convince us that the British public hasn't been consulted on our membership of the European Union for 30 years - because the last referendum was in 1975.

This is twisted logic. According to UKIP's reasoning, we have also never been consulted on the NHS, education, housing, taxes, the environment or anything else.

But this is complete nonsense. We live in a Parliamentary democracy, and we have a general election every four or five years. If we don't like a government's policies, we can remove the government from office and replace it with a better alternative.

As every general election since 1975 has produced a pro-European government, maybe UKIP should take the hint?

Margaret Martin,

Cedar Glade,

Dunnington, York.

Updated: 09:10 Tuesday, October 11, 2005