Living with the veto -
Sir: May we support your definition (Letters, 8 December) of the reason why Britain's apparent efforts to join Europe have ended in failure?
Britain has, as you pointed out, 'always evaded the real issue of the nature of the relationship between Western Europe and the United States.' We have done this with the best intentions, but should now realise that we cannot avoid making controversial decisions by the simple means of ignoring the problem.
May we also wholeheartedly support your recommendation (1 December) to take the General at his word, and invite him to spell out precisely what he has it in mind to offer us by way of favourable commercial exchanges. Assurances from Whitehall that the General did not mean what he said have in the past proved remarkably hollow. HMG should surely allow it to be possible that some plan exists, or could be hammered out, to promote trade and even cooperation between EFTA and the EEC.
The reasons are not clear for Britain's refusing, publicly, to examine any such thing. It is in all our interests to implore the British government to try a little secret diplomacy, instead of open disagreement, openly arrived at.
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