He gave undertakings then to support Mr Hague’s single-currency policy, which most did not believe he would keep. So it has proved.Far more important is the fate of the pro-euro Tory MP Ian Taylor, who is under threat of possible deselection in his Esher and Walton constituency. But heavyweight Eurosceptic MPs are rallying to his flag and urging William Hague, rightly, to use his influence to support Mr Taylor. Although he is strongly pro-single currency, Mr Taylor is also as concerned as the rest of the Tory Party on defence matters.Most Tories, left and right, wet and dry, Eurosceptic and Europhile, past and present, have all played the “strong defence” card at selection committees and election meetings down the ages Hitherto, Europe has simply never interfered.

Tony Blair may seek to draw attention to the implications of the Maastricht Treaty and some pragmatic comments about European defence co-operation by Baroness Thatcher in 1984, but control of our armed forces and the primacy of Nato were absolutes in the Tory political lexicon, and rightly. She was not called “the Iron Lady” by the Russians for nothing.The Tories have right on their side on this issue, and Mr Blair is being dishonest when he says, contrary to all the words from the French and the Germans, that this will not eventually lead to the EU getting its controlling paws on the concept.The suspicion must be that Mr Blair, who cannot bear being out of step in the big-boys’ playground of European summitry, is desperate to try to curry favour with good European credentials before he risks the prospect of isolation at next month’s inter-governmental conference in Nice. As Baroness Thatcher implied, it may have something to do with political vanity Mr Blair is slowly learning what Euro-summitry is all about. As Margaret Thatcher and John Major both found, standing up for British interests often risks “isolation”.This is a straightforward case of Mr Blair wanting to face in all directions at the same time. On the one hand, he wants to show his Euro pals, Chirac and Schröder, that he is taking on the Eurosceptics at home, while hoping, on the other hand, that they might let him have some crumbs from their table on tax harmonisation without him having to press the veto button.

He can then claim that his constructive engagement in Europe will yield results without him being isolated. But I doubt this will work.”I will never be isolated in Europe” was one of the more foolish of his early pronouncements, and will come back to haunt him. Whether he likes it or not, Europeans simply do not speak our language – even when they use the same words. Their interpretation of the rapid reaction force is totally at odds with Mr Blair’s understanding. It is simply not credible to dismiss their view that this proposal is but a process on the way to the building of a European superstate.What the Prime Minister seems incapable of understanding is that his European counterparts have a wholly different way of negotiating. Bitter Tory memories at such negotiations should have reminded him that there are no rewards when ground is given.