THIS week, our readers wrote to us about the EU Referendum, RAF families and International Women's Day. Here's what they had to say...

Brexiter naïvity
DEAR Editor,
The argument by those such as Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Michael Gove and fellow ‘Brexiters’ that our independence from the EU will see our full sovereignty restored is naïve in the extreme.
It is not a case of being sovereign or not being sovereign, as this concept is relative. If one refuses to pool sovereignty a country in fact has potentially less sovereignty as it has limited control over trading arrangements, pollution, the cleanliness of its seas, migration or terrorism.
The UK is already subject to some 700 international treaties and member of a number of international organisations. As a member of the UN, WTO, NATO and the IMF for example, we share our sovereignty, infringing on our national self-determination. But through this approach we have influence and maximise our effectiveness.
As a member of the European Economic Area, Norway for example is the 10th largest contributor to the EU budget and is bound by the rules of the single market without any say in the decision-making process. 
Many ‘Brexiters’ see the Norwegian model as one they would like to go down, but Oslo has to adhere to all the EU’s product standards, financial regulations and employment regulations, enacting 75 per cent of EU legislative acts. A UK choosing this track would, in other words, keep paying, accept rules from Brussels without having any influence on them, and would remain committed to the four freedoms, including free movement. 
For those wanting true full sovereignty there is only one nation that I can think of that is truly sovereign, and that is North Korea.
Yours faithfully,
Alex Orr, The European Movement in Scotland

 

RAF fund helps family
DEAR Editor,
As a working mum I juggle the same priorities as millions of women across the UK, but being an RAF mum brings its own set of unique challenges.
I have served in the RAF for more than 20 years and am proud of my long service. Having said that, my proudest moment to date was the birth of my daughter Eliza. Eliza’s arrival meant life, happily, took on a new, very busy direction, not least because my husband James is battling a terminal brain tumour.
Which is where the RAF Benevolent Fund come in. With their support, we can concentrate on being a family, together.
The RAF Benevolent Fund has provided a home for our family and financial assistance when times got tough. James is currently in remission and able to be at home but when he is being treated at Sheffield Hospital, long trips to visit him can take their toll. The RAF Benevolent Fund helped to pay for hotel accommodation during this difficult time, ensuring we could be together as a family to support each other.
I see first hand the difference the RAF Benevolent Fund makes to our lives and I also know the other schemes like Airplay youth clubs on RAF stations help many more RAF mums continue their careers and provide the best for their children.
To find out more about the Fund or to make a donation, go to rafbf.org
Yours sincerely, 
Cpl Sarah Faulkner

 

Women engineers
DEAR Editor,
Tuesday was International Women’s Day, which celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. 
A day that has been celebrated internationally for over 40 years – I think it is important to celebrate this day now more than ever. 
As the first female president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, it is a great honour to be at the forefront of an international organisation. But it has taken 144 years for this to happen. 
Analysis by the Royal Academy of Engineering suggests we will need more than a million new engineers and technicians by 2020 to fulfil demand so improving our gender diversity – and indeed our diversity more generally in engineering – has a strong economic motivation. 
Only nine percent of engineers in the UK today are women and yet the variety of creative and stimulating careers available to women in modern engineering is vast. 
So how do we make the next generation of career women aware of the exciting opportunities in engineering open to them? One way is by recognising and celebrating the women that already work in the industry – which is the main aim of the IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards, which opens for entries today. By celebrating these women and making them role models, we can hopefully inspire other girls and women into the profession in the future. 
I can honestly say that working as a female engineer is one of the most exciting, fast-moving and challenging places to be at the moment – but I want to motivate other women to share my passion and come and join me. 
Yours, 
Naomi Climer, Institution of Engineering and Technology