The debate has moved significantly within the Conservative party during the past two and a half years, but it has become more caricatured and distorted. It is now good sport to chide the French, to resurrect the language of wartime Britain against the Germans. The danger is that caricature and xenophobia may not be far apart. It is in the British national interest to be an active partner in the European Union, reforming and shaping its institutions. We should be at the table, not kicking it over when we don't like the tone of the discussion.
Enlargement is a huge opportunity.
It is also a huge responsibility for us, as one of the leading European nations, to ensure that it is a success. Young people expect us to build a better society. You simply have to go to Karl's Bridge in Prague, Piccadilly Circus in London, or the Spanish Steps in Rome, to see that borders no longer play a part in their lives. Our responsibility is to create the climate in which they will prosper. Turning Britain's back on these opportunities will be to let down the next generation.