Common Market myth

ROGER BROWN (Letters) wrote: ‘In 1975, a vote was given to me about joining the then Common Market.’

In 1975, we were given a vote on whether we wanted to remain in the Common Market after Ted Heath took us in without mandate a couple of years earlier. This myth, that we voted to enter the Common Market and its subsequent incarnations, is perpetuated by all manner of people who should know better.

I was 18 when this vote took place, the first one I was able to participate in, and I remember clearly that we were already in the Common Market. By that time, we had already severed our favourable trade deals with many Commonwealth countries, so a majority of people unfortunately voted to remain. We have paid the price ever since.

I voted to leave in 1975. I voted leave in 2016. And for all those who think being part of the EU is a good thing, I have one question: Would you invest in a company whose books hadn’t passed an audit for two decades? No, I thought not.

John Ralph, Chesham, Bucks. ROGER BROWN is a bit forgetful. In 1975, I too had the opportunity to vote in a referendum regarding the european economic Community (Common Market), and it wasn’t about joining, but about staying in.

Some years later, the ‘economic’ part of the title was dropped and we became the european Community.

Then — again without please, thank you or anything else — we became a Union with laws made abroad and little or no say in the matter.

D. W. SMITH, Skelmersdale, lancs.