HARRY FRANKS of Swann­aton Road, Dartmouth, writes:

My wife and I have recently returned from travelling by train the breadth of Europe to Turkey when we had varied but always good experiences and met many ‘Europeans’ with whom we felt kinship.

Also, as we learnt of their histories, we developed a profound sympathy for their far more horrific experiences of war, colonisation and government over the last 500 years than our country.

When this is brought home in such a direct way, the economic and sovereignty arguments seem to me to fall away beside our overriding need and duty to participate in helping Europe to a more secure and prosperous future; including balancing and moderating the power of Germany.

‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less,’ John Donne.

I understand the frustrations of the undemocratic European Commission, having had lots of contact on international development over the years.

However, we shall, of course, swop one large bureaucracy for another permanent secretaries for commissioners.

In the past it was surprising to find out that the Brussels development aid administrators handled ‘more’ aid per head than the British ones.

Note also that our Ministry of Agriculture failed to make due payments to farmers on time just this year and I understand that many had to take bridging loans. Everyone complains about bureaucrats.

In contrast to the balanced monograph on the agricultural implications of Brexit by Professor Allan Buckwell, I have not come across similar ones on either economics or sovereignty.

Economically I fear that getting out of Europe including the two-year negotiation [what chance a win-win?] and 10-year-plus adjustment period will take our politicians and businessmen’s eyes off the ball of creating a better country and contributing to a better Europe and world.

On the sovereignty argument, obviously we would be able to make or annul our own laws but I am told that only a 15 per cent slice of our legislation is from Europe – and fewer than 50 per cent of our migrants.

During our European rail journey, we tried to discuss Brexit with a good friend who runs an agribusiness company in Transylvania, both buying from and selling to UK.

Abruptly, he summed up his practical view – a nightmare!