Diplomacy doesn't stand a chance

10.07.11am GMT Tue 9th Feb 2010

Sir, The withdrawal of UK government support for the College of Europe in Bruges is worse than it looks (report, February 4). Even with the bursaries British students are already very few and declining.

This year there are 15 British students out of a total of 295. Over the period since 1997, there have been 294 British students at Bruges or its sister campus at Natolin in Poland. This compares with 453 Germans, 485 French and 532 Italians. Government myopia when it comes to European Union affairs combines with poor language skills and a lack of political vivacity among British youth to dish British diplomacy.

Andrew Duff,

Liberal Democrat, East of England