Ian Aitken, a columnist in the left-wing journal Tribune, is a long-time Eurosceptic. Or, at least, he used to be. His account of his recent conversion is grudging, to say the least, but coherent:

“As a member of the Leftish Eurosceptic tendency (as opposed to the Right-wing version of the same), I have had serious reservations about [Robin] Cook’s recent commitment to the European cause. However, his account of his desperate but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to persuade Blair that Britain belongs with Europe rather than George Bush’s America has finally convinced me that it is time to plump for the shabby compromise that is the European Union.”