Timothy Garton Ash’s latest column for the Guardian gives five good reasons for not having a referendum on the proposed EU Treaty, though he admits to being utterly fed up that we are back having the same old arguments about Europe.

His previous week’s column is also a very good read and simply points out the contradiction between many of the Foreign Policy aspirations the Conservatives spelt out at the Conference and their continued distaste for anything to do with the EU.

He points out it makes no sense to call on the EU to take action against Burma and put pressure on Zimbabwe while in the next breath condemning the Reform Treaty and screaming hysterically at the merest mention of any common foreign policy.

He also backs up the point I made last week which was that the Conservatives’ attitude to Europe in opposition would be completely and utterly untenable in power.