A politician operating on a peripheral European island-state, eager to appease insular, small-minded readers of tabloids, many of them crypto-racists who hate the idea of being properly regulated and who wrap themselves in the flag at the mere mention of any idea that comes from beyond their shores, has finally capitulated and said that he will consider leading his country out of the European Union.
This politician is in the run-up to an election, and his party has a record of being highly Euro-sceptic, with a good number of its leading lights having campaigned vigorously against membership.
The fact that it is manifestly and unequivocally in the best interests of this otherwise Third World country to remain firmly within the Union is as nothing to this type of politician, whose only aim seems to be winning the next election. He seems fixated on currying favour with what he perceives to be the bulk of voters, those for whom toleration of anyone wearing a hijab is a symptom of how the country has been overrun by Brussels-decreed interference with the fundamental right of self-determination enjoyed since the Middle Ages.
The reaction of other European leaders has been on the lines of "oh well, we'd rather have you in, but if you want to leave, hey, don't let the door hit you on the way out".
Wealth-creators within, and out-with, this politician's country are already looking at their options, while shaking their head in bemusement at the way someone they thought was not completely idiotic has proved them wrong.
We're so lucky that we're not led by David Cameron, aren't we? We don't have anyone hoping to be Prime Minister who was ever rabidly and actively anti-European.
No leading politician in a party led by any aspirant to the country's highest office has ever poured scorn on the very idea that we're European, or even very recently floated the idea that we can re-negotiate our European identity. The mere idea of not abiding by EU Directives on, say, public procurement or environmental assessments for major projects, doesn't even begin to figure in the plans of anyone who wants to run the country.
We don't have any issues with foreigners working here, especially if they are of a culturally and religiously diverse background, or darker than some of us, and the people who actually would like these foreigners ushered out don't express themselves by threatening to vote for a particular wannabe-PM.
No, of course we don't.