Ken Daly, former deputy director of Arms of Industry and husband of former Somerset and Dorset West MEP Margaret Daly

IT'S all very well for anti-EU parliamentarians, like Liam Fox, Jacob-Rees Mogg and Nigel Farage, who will draw their salaries until 2019/20, to urge British exporters to leave Europe and sally forth into some non-EU trading wilderness.

The reality of their 'brave new world' will not offer would-be exporters the revenue those politicians enjoy.

Neither would it offer the widespread advantages of the European single market of around 500 million consumers.

Just think of the fundamental logistics, the distances, the time, the travelling and freight costs, the multitude of currencies and different trade regulations.

Think, too, of the upfront costs and bank bridging which will be needed to fund our intrepid trading buccaneers (no cushy parliamentary salaries and expenses for them).

Current opinion polls indicate that a solid bloc of voters will vote to stay in Europe in Mr Cameron's referendum.

Similarly a solid bloc will vote 'no', but an even larger bloc say they want more information before deciding.

So I'll offer some trading information to help clarify matters.

Lets turn to one of Mr Farage's favourite export destinations, the Commonwealth.

The big hitters include Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore and South Africa. Bad news for Farage. Our combined exports to these eight countries total £37.8bn, significantly less than we export to Europe.

The hard reality is that Europe is now the world's largest economic bloc and is on our doorstep. Messrs Fox, Rees-Mogg and Farage want us to leave and throw away all our hard earned financial influence there.

I'm sure they will. Our latest balance of payments deficit with Europe came out at £61bn. One reason is the single market now produces many goods at competitive prices which are wanted by British consumers. This is entirely due to the 1992 single market.

Prior to 1992, British manufacturers faced a range of conflicting national regulations across Europe, necessitating frequent product regulations from one country to another.

For manufacturers all over Europe the single market has meant a bonfire of these national regulations with simpler European standards, resulting in lower costs and a better deal for consumers.

Yet the anti-brigade say this is 'Brussels meddling' and imposing 'their laws' on us.

What a sickening and dishonest travesty!

So my advice to readers is beware of the lies, distortions, caricatures and sheer visceral hostility euro-hostility of the antis. They have made their bed - you don't have to lie in it.