DICK HUMPHREYS,
Sir, - Please allow me to apologise to your correspondent Deirdre Donohoe (August 16th) for confusing her by my use of the term "political entity" in my letter of August 13th.
I was, of course, referring to the danger of turning what was a European Common Market into the "political entity" of an "EU superstate" designed to rival that of the USA in military power and prestige.
Probably with the majority of the 54 per cent of the electorate who support the EU and its enlargement and voted No to Nice last year, I do not think that the EU should develop into a superstate.
I would suggest to Ms Donohoe that it should be possible to "transform former enemies into close allies" by their continuing to co-operate together as legal equals on economic and other matters within structures provided by the EU. It should not be necessary to keep changing these structures with a view to creating an EU superstate.
The Nice Treaty rewrites EU rules to our detriment and that of the new entrants, and continues the process of abolishing the concept of the EU as an association of legal equals. The further development of the two-tier structure contained in Nice further subverts the EU's original ideal.
Irrespective of one's views on Nice, it is simply outrageous that our partners in the EU did not accept the democratic No verdict of the Irish people in 2001. This abuse of power alone deserves a larger No vote this time. We will help to develop an enlarged Europe that supports peaceful co-operation between independent states, by voting No to Nice again in October. - Yours, etc.,
DICK HUMPHREYS, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin