The historian David Starkey has suggested that the first Brexit was Henry VIII’s, when he broke with Rome over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. There is truth in it. But to let Britain’s relationship with its continental neighbours still be overshadowed by that disastrous king’s chaotic marital affairs is surely a sublime kind of madness. Leaving aside the background radiation from this catastrophic historical breach, there is every reason to celebrate Britain’s place in Europe and fervently wish it to continue and flourish.

What was lacking from the 2016 referendum campaign on the Remain side was any serious attempt to promote the idea of Britain as a European nation, rejoicing in its shared values and culture. If Sir Simon Jenkins is right and England’s medieval cathedrals remain supreme creations of the national genius, it is worth noting that they were a Catholic – that is to say Roman Catholic – accomplishment, and very much the fruit of European creativity.