THE European Union is the largest and most powerful bloc of democracies in the world, with a population of 500 million. It is a bastion of freedom, which is why so many neighbouring countries want to join and why so many of the world’s leading businesses want to trade with us.

We British are fortunate to be members, and leaving would be plain daft. What would we gain? We trade freely with each other, and with the rest of the world. Britain is one of the largest and most influential countries in the EU, and has probably the strongest economy at the present time.

Migrants come here to work because we have jobs for them, which they lack in their own countries. Where would we be without this extra labour? Who’d be caring for our old folk, nursing our sick, cleaning our offices or picking the fruit and vegetables in our fields?

If our own people don’t want to do this work, how lucky we are that other people are willing to up sticks and leave their own countries to come here and fill those gaps.?

As Barack Obama, the leader of the free world, has stated quite unequivocally, outside the EU Britain would lose influence and be just a small country struggling to trade with larger countries who would not be much interested.

Yes, of course we could make treaties with them, but on whose terms? The larger countries would dictate the terms to their advantage, not ours.?

Like every other European country, in the past we fought innumerable wars with our neighbours, against the Welsh, the Scots, the Irish, the French, the Spaniards, the Dutch and in the last century the Germans.

Those days are long gone, and wars with them are unthinkable. This wasn’t the case when I was a young man, growing up in the shadow of the Second World War and called up at 18 for two years’ military service.

Britain has much to contribute to the European Union, which is why our continental friends want us to stay with them. Mr Putin in Russia and the terrorists of ISIS would prefer us to leave, for the obvious reason that a weaker EU would suit their aims.

Those who want to leave are nationalists and Little Englanders. I am a patriot and a Big Englander, who believes in his country and wants to stay in and enjoy the mutual benefits that our union brings.

Martin Kyrle, Chairman, Chandler’s Ford Liberal Democrats