European integration has always been a tug of war. On one side stand the enthusiasts. They treat every crisis as a chance to deepen the union, pool sovereignty, and take another step towards a federal Europe. On the other stand the sceptics. They worry that centralisation undermines democracy and economic sense.

I have always sided with the sceptics, not out of hostility to European integration but because I believe much of the enthusiasts’ agenda is practically impossible. That makes me less a sceptic than a realist but let us not split hairs.

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