David Joyce lets the EU have it with both barrels in his letter (EU rules us, readers' times, April 28). I had to let the smoke clear before I could see how badly he had missed his targets.

Perhaps he didn't realise that democracy flourishes in the form of European elections which produce MEPs who have the opportunity to vote on matters put before them. British ministers and civil servants are involved in the development of European legislation which actually gets debated in the British Parliament. We retain our sovereignty in the knowledge we could repeal the 1972 European Communities act if we had a mind to. The arrangements could certainly be improved on - perhaps we could make it a priority after June 23.

Mr Joyce's fears of Brussels functionaries at the levers of the Treasury, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence is the stuff of Mr Farage's overactive imagination. We control our exchequer, our army and our borders.

Andrew Davis

Ledbury