Most generals avoid fighting the last war. The motley band calling for a referendum in Britain on the European Union’s constitutional treaty has failed to learn this. Its campaign is misguided, but it deserves better than the government’s fumbling response to date.

According to opponents, the new treaty marks another giant stride towards a European superstate. This is fantasy. There is no provision for grand projects such as the single market, monetary union or a common foreign and security policy as set out in the Single European Act or the Maastricht treaty – neither of which attracted a referendum.