Not perfect

I’m sure our correspondence must seem like a dialogue of the deaf to neutral observers, but I don’t actually believe the EU is perfect.

I am, for example, delighted that the UK is not in the Euro and I’m aware that much else needs to be improved.

However, I am also aware, surprisingly, of the devastation and cost of the Second World war.

However, by the 1960s the capital city was actually showing very clear signs of recovery, which most regional cities were not.

While we’re busy giving each other history lessons, others may remember the “Swinging Sixties”, when British music, design and fashion suddenly became internationally famous.

The centre of this was London.

The Beatles were certainly a big morale booster for Liverpool, but the city didn’t see much urban regeneration out of it.

It’s not unusual for capital cities to prosper at the expense of other parts of the country.

Our accession to the EC in 1973 made governments contribute to, and take notice of, the EC’s regional development strategy.

This was set up precisely to help the poorer countries – and poorer parts of rich countries – pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

If you know that you can get £100m towards a project - provided you also contribute £100m, it concentrates the minds of central and city governments wonderfully.

It gave cities like Manchester and Liverpool the opportunity to press Westminster hard for their share of the cake and they got it.

And do I believe that the UK government would have done that anyway?

No I don’t. Central Government’s idea of helping the North and Midlands is HS2.

On a wider scale, does anyone seriously believe that, for example, Spain and Ireland would have had their economic renaissance without the EU?

However, Mr Micklewright has won; we’re leaving the EU, whatever I think. He mentioned rose-tinted glasses in his letter. He’s going to need them after we leave the single market and the customs union.

Geoff Holman Cheshire n Send your letters to your