The bomb in the living room

During the last parliament William Hague likened the issue of Europe to an unexploded bomb at the heart of the Conservative party — best leave it alone, or it might well detonate. But it still dominates British foreign policy. However far David Cameron has travelled in search of a different world — paying tribute to Nelson Mandela in South Africa or inspecting melting glaciers in Norway — he would always return to find this huge relic from a previous war sat in the middle of the Tory living room. Beneath the everyday hubbub of Westminster life that persistent ticking noise comes from this enduring issue of British politics.

The mass of the Conservative party understands this, and wants the bomb defused. Even Margaret Thatcher took time to convert to the Eurosceptic cause, but in her landmark Bruges speech she was clear about her vision of a more democratic and dynamic Europe.