Parliament held an afternoon debate today commemorating the anniversary of the end of World War II. It's quite moving in a Parliament with members from the countries that suffered most during the war. And German members, too, regard 9 May 1945 as a day of liberation.

Jean Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Prime Minister and current President of the European Council, gave a an excellent speech. It was pitched at just the right level and won an unusual standing ovation, with all but UKIP's MEPs standing. (Is there nothing they can ever admit to finding positive in what they hear in the European Parliament?)