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I admit it. I'm a Europhile. I see myself as European as much as British. Yes, the EU isn't perfect. But what institution is? But I believe we gain more from being part of it than not. We don't often hear from the thousands of Brits living out their retirements in the sunnier parts of Europe whiles receiving their pensions and local healthcare. The thousands working in Europe because they have a right to travel and work. The thousands in places like Germany claiming benefits ... benefits they are entitled to. You don't hear much about European professionals and graduates, working here having accepted jobs below their qualifications. Who in many cases plan to return home once the economy has improved. Instead the newspapers are full of scare stories about 'scroungers' from the East. Well, we have quite enough home-grown scroungers too. Those who were born here but feel entitled to claim benefits and hang on until they are entitled to buy their council houses. You get those everywhere. People who could work but don't want to. Does that mean we should just stop people from claiming benefits? Close the gates? Force the unemployed and disabled to 'do something' during the day, rather than sit at home or whatever? I strongly believe not. Our benefits system helps far more people than abuse it. Our immigration and asylum policies benefit the country far more than they are abused. Our 'belonging' to Europe is of far more benefit to us that if we were to cut ourselves off and go it alone. UKIP is a reflection of a general public dissatisfaction with politicians and the current parties who don't seem to be able to decide whether they wish to run on principles (these are our policies - if you agree vote for us) or pragmatism (we want to get elected so vote for us and we'll do whatever you want when in power). Once the world economy improves, as eventually it surely will since these things seem to be cyclical, UKIP and the reasons it garners interest will be forgotten. Rather like SNP and Scottish 'independence' I just hope that in the meantime we don't do anything stupid and irreversible that we will regret.

Its an auction lot Bob, so all is fair game

Well said Richard. I whole-heartedly agree with pretty much all of that (speaking as a now-disabled person who's been living in terror that I'll either lose my benefits entirely or else be forced to look for work I can't do anymore - which would be even more a reality under UKIP). One thing that this week's 70th anniversary of D-Day ought to do, is make people realise that the European Community was founded (yes, initially only as an economic market) in the spirit of all its component nations getting along together and that war between us should never again happen. Yet in that time, the French remain irrevocably French, as do the Germans, the Italians, Romanians, Irish, Spanish, etc - no nation has lost its defining identity. Just as in Britain - the oldest federal state in Europe - Yorkshiremen, Cornish, Brummies, Scousers, Cockneys, etc haven't lost their separate identities in 1,000 years, apart from there being a Starbucks and McDonalds on every High Street! As you say Richard, there's much wrong with the way Europe is administered from Brussels, but that doesn't mean we should do a Farage-style sulk and get out altogether. Far better that we stay in and help to right the ills, than cut off our noses to spite our face and become an isolated nonentity on the edge of the Atlantic. I'm also just glad that I'm not the only 'Europhile' in this forum.