The one reason for remaining in EU which overrides everything else - Peace.

The EEC, now the EU, was formed  by the six original states: France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, when they signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957. The EEC officially came into being in 1958.

The reason to create the EEC was not just economic it was also political. It was vital that Europe should not suffer again from the horrors of the two World Wars which started in Europe in the twentieth century. The first world war saw millions of young men dying under horrific conditions in the trenches and front lines. The USA was dragged into the war and so was the British Commonwealth or Empire as it was then.

The League of Nations formed after the First World War failed to prevent the even more horrific and terrifying World War Two. Not only did thousands of service men suffer but millions of civilians suffered death or serious injury. We saw the holocaust where over 6 million innocent Jewish people were murdered because of their race. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Gypsies and Slavic people were murdered because they appeared different. There was an orgy of xenophobic slaughter and war crimes.

Modern day xenophobes would do well to reflect upon this - you could become the victim.

The leaders of Europe did reflect upon this and one of the best ways of preventing the same humanitarian crimes happening again was to form the EEC. The EEC would encourage free trade between the peoples of Europe. Freedom of movement to find work would encourage friendship between the common people of Europe to promote friendship and peace. The ideal was to make war unthinkable not just because the economies of Europe would become intertwined but because the peoples of Europe, at a grass roots level, would create  a political consensus to prevent their leaders from starting unnecessary and cruel wars.

If you look at the last thousand years of European history  we have had uncountable wars culminating in the most cruel war of all: World War Two.  The EU has created an environment of peace between its member states. A peace that has lasted more than fifty years. Britain joined the EU in 1973 and it has enjoyed increasing prosperity and cultural advancement in that time. There have been economic setbacks for both Britain and the rest of the EU. However, in the main, all citizens of the EU have enjoyed peace and security and the prospect of a brighter future if they wanted to work for it.

It is easy for relatively peaceful countries to fall back into war. Yugoslavia and Ukraine are two European examples. When Yugoslavia broke up because of severe nationalist influences we saw war between the former states quickly take hold. We saw war crimes being committed. Within a year a peaceful country had descended into chaos. The former states of Yugoslavia now want to agree a rapprochement. Croatia and Slovenia have already achieved this by joining the EU and now it is the turn of Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia to do the same.  The EU is their key to achieving peace and friendly national relations again.

Ukraine went from hosting the European football championships one year to waging a civil war a couple of years later. The dangers of disunity and xenophobia are clear to all.

Peace does not come easy and it needs to be worked at. The EU, The Ukraine and Russia must come to an agreement to stop the war in the Ukraine and prevent it from ever happening again. Britain can play a constructive and creative role in achieving a peace settlement to improve the security for all of Europe.

It would be a mistake for Britain to leave the EU as it could encourage disunity not just in Britain itself but also in Europe. Dark forces could arise once more to spoil progress.

In June, we shall be voting to remain or leave the EU; we will not be voting to ban or restrict immigration. I am afraid to say that the British population is being manipulated by fear of immigration to leave the EU.

Of course, the mass migration of people creates problems but schools, hospitals and other infrastructure can be built to mitigate the economic effects of immigration and emigration. We can plan for this. We already have a clear idea of how many people will be living in our country in 2030. We can build our infrastructure based on the extra wealth that immigrants from Europe and other countries create. We are not helpless; we are a resourceful and well organised country and we can easily accommodate the workers coming here if we have the will to do it.

What is the point of complaining about people who come to work in Britain and pay their way and contribute?Why not welcome them and do something to improve their lives? Many of the foreign workers will return home. It would be better if they went home with a good feeling about the British. Economies perform in cycles and our cycle is out of synchronisation with the rest of Europe. One day the tables will be turned and British workers may feel the need to emigrate to the rest of Europe to find employment. Freedom of movement to work is a precious commodity so lets not lose it or waste it because of animosity between neighbours.

It is difficult to mitigate the effects of disliking or even hating people from neighbouring countries and if we allow ourselves and the people of Europe to become xenophobic because of our actions then we are treading into dangerous territory once again.

I say to the people who want to leave the EU because you do not like foreigners that you should think again and be careful what you wish for. Despite the difficulties the future will be brighter for both you and your children and grand children if we stay united to our friends across the channel.

Peace needs hard work. Above, all it needs good will towards your neighbours and a willingness to cooperate with them in a sense of enlightened self-interest. Why not vote for continuing peace?