A RECENT opinion poll shows that most people are against abandoning the pound in favour of the euro. Good! We were conned into going into the Common Market believing that that is just what it was - a common market, when, in fact, it has now developed into an interfering European Union with strong pressure from Germany and France etc, for it to become a Federal "United States of Europe", thus losing us our sovereignty and independence.

Without being consulted, we were forced into decimalisation, and again, without being consulted, we were forced into metric action.

But if Tony Blair honours his reluctant election commitment to allow us a referendum concerning the euro, we will now have our chance to get our revenge for all the lies and confidence tricks of this and previous pro-Europe Governments, by voting a resounding NO to the abandonment of the pound, thus keeping our independence and the right to rule ourselves. For, make no mistake, a single currency means an eventual single State, where our rulers won't be our elected representatives at Westminster, but the unelected ones in Brussels!

Why should we give up 1,000 years of successful self rule for the dubious and tacky benefits of the European Union?

Lawrence Holmes

Higher Bridge Street, Bolton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.