Europe debate

Millions of viewers watched the televised debate on Wednesday night between Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Ukip leader Nigel Farage, indicating that an almost unheard of interest has arisen in the European Union.

There is doubtless disenchantment felt about unelected EU politicians such as Baroness Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union.

Supporting a coup to overthrow a democratically elected government in Ukraine to bring extremists into power and the country into chaos is not what any of the UK’s taxpayers voted for. Nor is the prospect of further EU funds being spent on military assets.

There are also issues over our lack of control over regulatory powers, energy pricing and energy policy, as well as foreign trade.

These matters are important to analyse and debate if we are having to pay such large sums of money out to support a bureaucracy which appears less than transparent, and whose accounts have not been given a clean bill of health for decades.

One can only hope The Scotsman recognises this important debate and issues a European Union supplement before the elections next month, to cover the facts and encompass the wide range of existing opinion.

Elizabeth Marshall

Western Harbour Midway

Edinburgh