I'm disappointed by Martin Roche’s gloom laden crystal ball gazing of what might follow our withdrawal from the EU.

The Insurance Manager has a number of EU clients but nowhere near Martin’s 70%, so maybe he can afford to upset Angela, Francois and Herman.

If we withdrew, of course, the remaining 27 members – or probably 57 by then – will be “bruised and rejected” as he puts it. Wouldn’t you be if your sugar daddy left home and took your annual £10 billion pocket money with him? And just you hear the squeals when we take our £3bn worth of fish back as well.

It might be too late to save the £6bn payment for the “rescue” fund aimed at “helping new countries join the Euro” – (bailout fund to you and me), but consider that a parting gift.
“No mood to do Britain any favours” huh?

We buy more from the EU countries than they do from us (a monthly trade deficit of £3bn). Wouldn’t you fight tooth and nail to try to keep your biggest customer? We have free trade agreements with 53 countries so it wouldn’t be too difficult to add another 20-odd. EU rules prevent us from doing our own deals with the likes of India, Japan, China, Brazil and the US – without the burden of EU red tape round our necks (£28bn and rising).

It is estimated membership costs the UK £70bn a year but okay, this includes the cost of compliance with EU regulations and we would be bound to keep some of them.

Martin, your views are based on fear. You were probably one of those kids hiding behind the settee during Doctor Who.

Also, we wouldn’t have to be part of the EURES JOB scam under which the EU pays for unemployed EU workers to get interviews and resettle in other EU states. Jobs are listed on the “mobility portal” by member countries.

Latest score – France 14,000, UK 250,000.

Martin, your views are based on fear. You were probably one of those kids hiding behind the settee during Doctor Who. What we need, ahead of any referendum, is an honest cost benefit analysis.

In 2006, the Swiss carried one out and this showed membership would cost between six and nine times the cost of their bilateral agreements with EU countries. To its collective shame, the UK Government has never undertaken one.

• Danny Cooper ismanaging director of The Insurance Manager, based near Faversham.