I was very pleased to read Dr Reppy's letter in today's ET (We are family, Feedback, 25 October 1999), since I share his sentiments about us being a "family" of English speaking peoples. I believe Winston Churchill had a few words to say on the subject as well.

However, we should not overlook the fact that we are the product and merely a part of European culture and civilisation. Racially we may be mixed, but culturally we are 99% European. Britain therefore belongs in Europe - with America and other English speaking nations alongside.