IT would appear that Richard Grant (Echo, Letters, May 22) sees something sinister in the fact that UKIP membership is not restricted to natives of Britain, so maybe it would make him happy if we took up the stance of BNP and allowed only white British to join us.

He asks also whether we want independence for Scotland, if breaking away from the UK and still remaining tied to the EU is considered independence.

I would say let them stew in the own ambitions, and I don’t think UKIP has much political pull in Alec Salmond’s Scotland.

As for UKIP ruining this country, it would be a poorer place without such people who are prepared to stand up and be counted when their country is being threatened by losing our sovereignty and becoming just another region of a greater European superstate.

He seems to think if we are forced out of the EU we would need a large armed force to protect us against who he describes as our natural cousins in Europe and asks how we will deal with terrorism.

I don’t see how being a member of the EU has ever helped when terrorism strikes in this country, on the contrary it has been the indirect cause of most of it.

A. GABRIEL, Hythe.