In the last few weeks we have been inundated with publicity about the Commonwealth Games. We have watched with bated breath as the “Queen’s” baton has been carried through all the nations of the Commonwealth, virtually encircling the globe as it went, and we have watched as all the nations of the Commonwealth family have competed together in Glasgow, in what is referred to as the “friendly” games.

But is it not rather hypocritical to call them the friendly games when, from the point of view of the Border Control, as I understand it, they are no more entitled to enter the UK than most other nations of the world, except the members of the EU. They are just as “foreign” as a Russian, a Japanese or even an Argentinian.This in spite of the fact that the Queen has to call a convention of all the Commonwealth nations to ask permission to change the rules on accession to the monarchy. This is one power that the EU has not assumed, yet.

An article in this month’s Pembrokeshire Life reminds me of the thousands of Commonwealth citizens who came to our assistance during both World Wars, and the fact that The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has the duty to maintain all graves of Commonwealth war dead, in perpetuity.

Put this alongside the fact that not all the nations of Europe were on our side during the wars.

Perhaps if we managed to extricate ourselves from Europe, maintaining of course the same level of trading agreements that we already have with other countries, then we could restore to the Commonwealth their former privileges, which we gave up to join Europe.

TONY WARD

Lawrenny