I am afraid that my teeth are too few and my flesh too old and tough for me to attempt to bite my arm off; Clifford Longley (The Tablet, 31 May), is clearly more of the spring chicken than I had thought. I am not sure that such hyperbole is helpful, however. The truth is that voting is a very crude way of exercising any preference. None of the mainstream parties has expressed any concern about the huge democratic deficit under which we have been living for years. I had thought Mr Longley’s preference for Catholic social doctrine would have made him want to see decisions made nationally or even locally rather than by unelected Eurocrats. Subsidiarity should be a doctrine dear to his heart. Apparently not.
I voted for Ukip because I want to see decisions made appropriately in Britain and, where possible, locally to me in Norfolk. I have few means of protesting against the fact that Westminster long ago emasculated local government; but here was a chance to shout at those who have shown how rarely they listen. For I fear that much more serious self-harm will be done to us all in long term by those who do not rage against the bureaucratic project which is the EU. It is not a matter of what decisions they make: almost everything in my life has nothing whatever to do with them. I wish Mr Longley would bite his lip instead.
Canon Roger Arguile, Wells next the Sea, Norfolk
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