THERE is currently a lot of discussion about a referendum on Britain and the European Union.

One thing is clear. The only way the EU can continue, in the long term, is by forming a new federal country called Europe with all economic, fiscal and monetary power centralised in Brussels. With Westminster and the other EU governments reduced to the status of regional local authorities.

All 27 members will eventually have to use the Euro and all taxation and spending will be dictated by the European Central Bank with the richer countries subsidising the weaker countries to hold the union together.

I don’t want the UK to be part of a federal Europe. And I don’t want a referendum.

I want the present Government to make the decision on staying in or coming out.

I don’t want a referendum because I believe the situation is too complicated for the largely uninterested majority to be asked to vote for or against our continued membership.

Most people will tend to go along with what the party they support recommends. So Labour and Lib Dem supporters will tend to vote to stay in the EU.

And some Conservatives will join them.

Many Conservatives and Ukip supporters will vote to come out.

But who will have the majority?

A referendum would be a gamble. In Harold Wilson’s 1975 Referendum there was a two to one majority in favour of staying in. The voters fell for the fiction that we were only in a Common Market, and that we would prosper by having a big ‘”home market”.

I want David Cameron to grasp the bull by the horns and seek Parliament’s approval to bring us out without a referendum.

The time has come to stop the dithering.

Jim Allan, Hartlepool.