I FAIL to understand E F Showell's reference to a "U-turn" made by myself (You Say, July 30).

There are 10, not 15, candidate countries for EU membership in 2004. The aspirations of five states have been put on hold.

These 10 countries are certainly not "poor" by world standards.

Hungary and Poland have made great strides in recent years, while Cyprus is a success story and surprisingly stable as well.

Under Tony Blair's inspirational leadership, the British economy has indeed risen from being the sixth largest in the world to take over fourth spot.

Nevertheless, France and Italy are still only marginally behind us. Countries as diverse as Spain, Russia, Brazil and South Korea are also doing well. The two giants, China and India, cannot be discounted.

Britain's greatest strength is in provision of financial services worldwide. In this sector we eclipse Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo, possibly even Wall Street. However, relative to the rest of the world, our manufacturing and extraction industries are in decline. Thus we have imbalance in the economy.

Therefore, in years to come, we may well become net beneficiaries of EU funds.

D E MARGRETT,

Worcester.