TERRY James (You Say, July 30) thinks that the U K Independence Party is in some way anti-European and pro-American.

UKIP is not anti-European, but it is simply against our membership of the European Union.

We want good relations, trading and so on, with our European neighbours (soon there will only be one neighbour called the EU!) and to co-operate wherever necessary (even militarily if needs must) but we do not want political union with one central government in Brussels.

Many people would say that we have more in common with the USA, a common language for instance, and through NATO we have had military links for the last 50 years.

However there is no danger of Britain becoming the 51st state of the USA. It might be of some interest to Terry James to know that the states of the USA actually have more independence than what is planned for the "states" of the EU.

As far as the war in Iraq is concerned, the policy of UKIP is that we should not have supported the Americans and gone to war without a further UN resolution. Had UKIP been in power, we would not therefore have supported the Americans.

Britain does not need to be a member the EU. We pay billions of pound a year for the "privilege" - money that should never leave this country but should be spent on our own health service, schools, and pensions.

We should remain an independent nation with the freedom to do business with whichever country throughout the world we choose.

RICHARD CHAMINGS,

Chairman UKIP, Worcester.