BORIS Johnson may have hit a red button with his comment that the intentions of the EU and those of Napoleon or Hitler are the same although pursued with different methods (“Johnson faces backlash for comparing EU aims to Nazi bid for domination”, The Herald, May 16). Nevertheless the analogy misses the point.

Neither Napoleon nor Hitler wanted to “unify” Europe. Instead they intended to overthrow and rule their European neighbours. Their actions were driven by hostile, territorial expansion politics and aggressive nationalism.

In contrast, since its beginnings shortly after the Second World War, the process of European integration is driven by the opposite idea: overcoming the nationalism that caused immeasurable tragedy and disaster across Europe and beyond.

The EU of today has evolved from complex negotiations and agreements between member states. Whether or not the British people want to play a part in this long-term project is totally up to them. But their decision on June 23 should not be influenced by simplistic, flawed comparisons with Europe's past.

Regina Erich,

1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.

WHAT is it with former London mayors and Hitler? First we had Ken Livingstone and his ill-advised remarks about Hitler and Zionism. Now we have Boris Johnson arguing that the peaceful, civilised process that has produced the EU is akin to Hitler’s fascist, brutal attempt at European conquest.

If anyone is undecided about how to vote in the forthcoming referendum, they need only look at the cast of prominent Brexiteers: Iain Duncan Smith, Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson. Odd, odder and odder still; makes the decision easy.

Doug Maughan, 52 Mentieth View, Dunblane.

AS the dust settles around the recent Scottish Parliament election and the European Referendum vote rears its head on June 23 it might be prudent for our newly-elected parliamentarians to give thoughts to the legislation surrounding the Scottish fishing industry.

Equal access to fishing grounds policy was traded off in the 1970s for the sake of the greater European economic good, but it created real hardship problems in our island and coastal communities. They have paid the price through job losses and there can be no better time for a change in legislation.

No sector within the Scottish economy has done more to regulate itself and North Sea white fish stocks are at an unprecedented high level thanks to the efforts of fishery scientists, environmentalists and the industry itself.

For an industry that is worth £600 million to our economy and employing thousands of people surely the time is right for our new coalition parliament to make its presence felt on the larger European scene for the sake of our more economically fragile communities.

DG McIntyre,

15 Red Row, Limekilns, Fife.

AM I alone in noting that more than three-quarters of Saturday’s night’s Eurovision dreck was “sung” in English? What’s then to fear about Brexit when all Euro wannabes aspire to the spirit of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott?

Martin Ketterer,

Tavistock Drive, Newlands, Glasgow.