No, because Europe has always been peripheral to Labour. But Europe has never been peripheral to Europe, obviously.

So if there's an enlargement strategy, and a consolidation strategy - both of which exist - it makes no sense to leave enlargement and consolidation entirely to national governments without making any democratic effort at all to persuade national populations.

You don't even do this in business. You don't throw random people together, tell them they're a team now - yay - and then act surprised when fights break out and some people wander off and find something else to do.

You're effectively arguing for a completely hands-off disinterested Europe. And that can't possibly work - for common sense reasons, never mind strategic ones.