Yes, really. Annoying (to use the mildest of adjectives) though the EU is, the Poles should vote yes in this weekend’s referendum (any comment, Commissioner Patten?) whether to join the European Union. A yes vote will further underpin Poland’s long overdue return to the West and the Poles, unless their ruling elite becomes totally corrupted by Brussels – something that is far from impossible, unfortunately, – should be a welcome voice for Atlanticism in Brussels.

With a bit of luck, the arrival of the Poles (and the other East European applicants) should hasten that happy day when the federal model EU collapses (to borrow a phrase) under the weight of its own contradictions and becomes what it always should have been – a free trade zone.