In the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph on 26 September:

The EU 'parliament' is a smokescreen. It is there to create the illusion of democracy. Unlike British Parliament, the MEPs have no power whatsoever in the running of the EU. No power to make law or amend law and no power to elect a government or dislodge the members of the unelected commission, who themselves are put into place by the powers behind the scene, unelected, unremovable, unaccountable figures who really pull the strings in Europe.

This bizarre and obviously ill-informed diatribe has provoked a series of responses from first Bernard Regan:

The image of Paul Potter quaking in a corner about the 'hellish picture' of the EU, which he conjures up in his letter (Viewpoint, September 26), is an amusing one, but I can assure him it's quite all right to take off his gas mask, invasion is not yet imminent.

…then a J Donaldson:

Like most opponents of the EU, Mr Potter outlines and complains of a number of issues of what is wrong with the community and some people can agree, but so what? That is what we have MEPs for, to correct and change. But like most opponents who try their best to blame Brussels and faceless civil servants for all the ills and problems an organisation like the Community has, they conveniently forget to mention this is controlled by elected members of the European Parliament.

…then Simon Duffin at the European Parliament:

Only recently, the European Parliament threw out a proposal which said workers exposed to natural sunlight should be covered by new health and safety legislation. In July, the European Parliament rejected outright a proposed law on computer patents. Indeed, writing in the national press last year, Boris Johnson MP bemoaned the fact as a backbench member of the House of Commons, he has less influence over the laws of this land than does an MEP.

…and finally myself!