We, on the yes side of the debate, the commonsense, modern, forward thinking side of the debate, are ourselves far too divided and far too focused on the economic arguments for staying in (overwhelming though they are).

The key is far stronger than that. This is about the rebuilding of our Continent in a different way, where the soft peace is guaranteed because we all sit at the same table work together and have a say in each others affairs.

NATO does the hard peace, the EU does the soft peace in Europe. Originally to bind (West) Germany and Italy into a new democratic Europe, the EU has gone much further.

In my lifetime, Greece Spain and Portugal have moved form being military dictatorships to modern free market democratic states.

After 1990, the EU welcomed the former Soviet satellite states back into the European family, which the UK in particular rightly pushed for. They too are now democratic free market states. True, they still have a way to go, but these things take time.

What an act of utter betrayal of those countries to walk out on them now.

Jeremy, Sheffield, England