SIR – Once more I hear talk about the EU and no way out of this nightmare that our leaders have got us into.

Everyone I talk to seems to be defeatist and say there is no way out.

What really puts the wind up the federalists is why we could not adopt a Norwegian-style relationship with the EU rather than being in the EU.

Europhiles say it would not do to copy Norway “because Norway must abide by every piece of EU legislation and not have any say in the passing of the legislation”.

Yes, Norway has to put up with the fax democracy, but this is just instructions faxed from Brussels.

It is true, Norway has no vote at the EU Council Of Ministers.

Meanwhile, Norway remains contented – unlike the UK – outside the Common Agricultural Policy, the Common Fisheries Policy, Common Foreign and Security Policies, Economic and Monetary Union, and the EU Customs Union.

The UK has no vote at the World Trade Organisation, unlike Norway. Norway, in contrast, sits, negotiates and votes at the WTO exclusively on behalf of itself.

The UK is represented by the EU commission.

Norway is a smaller country than the UK, but has far more clout at the WTO than the UK.

Norway,unlike the UK, sets its own levels of customs duty and quotas. Norway, unlike the UK, determines its own trade policy as a function of its own trading patterns worldwide.

JOHN WHITE,

Evesham.