Holes in argument to leave the EU

Christopher Smith makes a great many assertions in his list of reasons for the UK leaving the EU (Letters and Opinion, Kentish Gazette, June 2).

It has been a habit of the leave side to portray opinion as fact.

I’ll deal as briefly as possible with each of Mr Smith’s assertions.

The decline in the UK’S industrial base has almost nothing to do with the EU and far more to do with the UK’S “smokestack” industries substantially disappearing between 1970 and 1990 and the great shift in global manufacturing to China. Consequently, the UK’S markets in the EU have become more important.

Some farmers are opposed to the EU, but the leading voice in farming, the National Union of Farmers, is in favour of the UK remaining in the EU.

The biggest cost to steel makers, apart from labour, is energy. It is British energy policy that has kept fuel costs high.

Because we do some things differently from our neighbours is not a reason for anything. It’s a meaningless statement. Every EU country does many things differently from its neighbours. Far better to see all the good things we have in common; democracy, the rule of law, free speech, travel, trade, assembly, domicile and assured health care when travelling.

We import more from the EU than they sell us, but the EU is our single biggest export market, taking 46% of our goods.

Even the Brexit leadership admit there is no guarantee that immigration can be controlled better out than in.

We will have to pay dues to the EU if we want to stay in the single market. If we quit the single market our industries – the city, services and manufacturing – will be eaten alive by our competitors.

Mr Smith concludes by saying the defence of the country will be strengthened by the removal of David Cameron.

I hold no brief for Mr Cameron, but note that under his command defence