When Monnet and Spinelli conceived their Marxist/fascist dream of a European Union they knew it could never survive public accountability and democratic scrutiny so it must be achieved by stealth and bureaucratic secrecy. This is the creation that now governs us.

To be more precise 80% of our laws are imposed by the EU and the "Aquis Communitaire" runs to over 100,000 pages, or twice the size of the Encyclopaedia Britannica , of which the Recreational Craft Directive is but a tiny, but for us, significant part.

Having watched the unfolding horror of the RCD, and written warning letters, it evolved much as James describes. Our BMIF, as it then was, found, as ever, the French raised every sort of barrier to imports.

There is nothing new here.

Remember Portarlier, the only entry point for electronic equipment to keep out the Japanese? The French are past masters at protectionism. The infamous Common Agricultural Policy that beggars the world to cosset French farmers should be warning enough.

So sure enough the RCD follows this pattern. Our BMIF thought they could level an unlevel playing field, but the French have turned it round to favour their mass production producers and kill our traditional builders. Jaguar Yachts of Canvey Island come to mind as an early casualty of so many.

Whichever way you look at it, one has to conclude the EU is unreformable. Perhaps an undemocratic institution can never be reformed by democratic means. Eurofanatics will bridle at this but where does power reside?

Does it lie with COREPA the unelected permanent representatives? Does it lie with the Commissariat, composed of unelected, unaccountable and, incidentally, with lifelong legal immunity, Commissioners?

We don't really know because they both operate in complete secrecy, as indeed do the European Central Bank and the Council of Ministers.

Where it undoubtedly does not lie is with the elected European Parliament, and least of all with truly democratic national parliaments which now have no more power than a devolved national assembly;

which is of course the whole purpose of the exercise.

We must also remember, to be stitched up like this, we tax payers have to contribute £11 billion a year on average to our "Partners".

Regards, Bill Woodhouse Yachting Instruments