IT’S A SMART RAT THAT WILL LEAVE THE EU SINKING SHIP

IT WAS only three-and-a-half years ago that David Cameron toured the EU, capital by capital, asking for support for a programme of EU reform. He was rebuffed city after city but the one setting the trend was Angela Merkel of Germany.

She made it plain she was a real EU fanatic; for her the total unification of Europe at every level was beyond a policy, it was a religion and like the papacy 500 years ago, anyone querying that truth was a heretic. Returning home rejected and humiliated, our Dave finally conceded a referendum. But, refusing to admit the EU was actually unreformable, he still clamoured for us to stay in but couldn’t confess we could only stay in as servants. We have never agreed to be that, so we voted to leave (apart from the usual well-bred appeasers.)

But were we right? Were the Brits once again demonstrating a deep gut feeling that scandalised the high and the mighty but turned out to be right? It looks so.

Pretty open anti-EU insurrection has broken out in Hungary, Poland, Greece and Italy. More, it has infected Germany, heartland of EU orthodoxy. Angela Merkel has taken rebuff after rebuff from her own obedient Germans, and is on her way out. She says in two years, but the vultures are circling and may want flesh faster than that.

It has long been a matter of wonder that wiseacres blame rats for leaving a sinking ship. If these smart rodents had been on the bridge rather than an incompetent captain, the vessel wouldn’t be sinking in the first place. But it looks as if the EU is. Without reform it is likely to split asunder.

We are daily treated to desperate forecasts from the usual Jonahs, interviewed by a simpering BBC.

Actually the future is looking brighter and brighter with the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, India and Brazil lusting for us to hike up our trade with them rather than scurrying to Brussels for our latest orders. All we lack is dynamism at the top.