European Union not democratic

I refer to the article "Politicians split over award of Nobel Peace Prize to the EU" (Mercury, October 13). Roger Helmer MEP's comment that the choice brought the award "into disrepute" is, in my view, quite correct .

To award the Nobel Prize to this corrupt organisation is a mockery.

The comment by Rory Palmer, deputy mayor of Leicester, who believes the EU is a worthy recipient – that it has brought countries together and its democratic institutions have been a massive force for good – is what one would expect to hear from a Labour politician.

The EU is not a force for democracy, quite the reverse .

Free Legal Expenses Policy with any Motor Insurance Policy with...

Insure365

View details

Print voucher

Free Legal Expenses Policy with any Motor Insurance Policy with Insure365 - call 01782 898188, Free Legal Protection Cover included valued at £25.00

Terms: 1 Voucher Per Customer

Contact: 01782 898188

Valid until: Friday, June 21 2013

Human rights legislation has caused more harm to the due process of law in this country than almost any other piece of legislation.

The multiple attempts of Abu Hamza to evade justice are well documented.

He and others have dragged their cases over many years through British courts and, when found guilty, have resorted to delaying tactics under the Human Rights Act, to take their cases to the EU, at enormous cost to the taxpayers of the UK.

Until we withdraw from the pernicious EU, we will never be masters of our own affairs.

Democracy doesn't exist in the EU any more than in Leicester – our mayor and his assistants doing just as they like without hindrance of an overseer to curtail some of their more outlandish schemes.

As to the council itself, all but two members being Labour, thanks to the citizens of this once great city – democracy: don't make me laugh.

James A Hutchinson, Leicester.

Eric Goodyer would provide interesting letters about the European Union if he knew what he writes about.

He tries to poke fun at eurosceptics by referring to bananas (Mailbox, October 29). Unluckily for him, he has slipped up on a banana skin.

It is a common trick by those who love the EU, warts and all, to overlook inconvenient facts. In this case, I refer to Banana Regulations EC2257/94 of September 16, 1994.

About 10 years ago, on one of his visits to Leicester from his home in Brussels, Nick Clegg at a public meeting denied the existence of any banana regulation. To his embarrassment, a member of the audience displayed a copy that covers the laying down of quality standards for bananas.

My favourite clause is the one that dictates that bananas must be "free from any foreign smell and/or taste".

Coming a close second is the clause that states each banana must be "free from malformation or abnormal curvature".

There are 10,000 officials in Brussels, each earning more than £54,000 per year.

Truly, in cooking up directives and regulations, the Devil makes work for idle hands at the expense of British taxpayers.

George West, president, Campaign for an Independent Britain, Groby.

While I appreciate, and thank, Michael Marston for his request for me to keep on writing (Mailbox, October 11), that is not the reason for this letter. It is what appears to be a typographical error on the part of the Leicester Mercury.

Leicester Railway Society was formed in 1939 by myself and four friends (I am the only known survivor).

By 1944, all of the committee members had been called up and meetings were postponed until enough had been demobilised to reform.

Michael was a post-war recruit, now an elder statesman, whose letter, I feel sure, must have read "he was instrumental in getting me to join Leicester Railway Society in 1951".

Horace Gamble, Ratby.