As a Liberal Democrat MEP, Catherine Bearder dutifully asserts that EU citizens come here to work (letter, March 2).

I am tired of being told this by the Europhile lobby, and I'm not arguing with it.

What is rather more relevant (and conveniently ignored by said lobby) is that all these paragons of industry and self-improvement, in their hundreds of thousands over the years, require housing, healthcare and school-places, all of which are coming under enormous strain, in case Ms Bearder hadn't noticed.

Regarding her "estimated 40,000 Brits claiming benefits in other EU countries", what mugs those countries are as well, say I, but I seriously doubt that they are as magnanimous to our exported claimants as soft-touch Britain is to the imported ones.

As for the EU being "good value for money", some of the frittering of our enormous contribution includes: £150 million each year on moving the EU Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg once a month; 2.4 billion euros annually on advertising the EU; and 5.25 million euros spent on a fleet of limousines for MEPs in Strasbourg.

This is like the decadence of pre-Revolutionary France, and as out-of-touch with the common people.

Colin Hingston, Southampton