Edward Heath and Richard Nixon took personal awkwardness with each other to new and excruciating levels.

I know that the United Kingdom is sometimes seen as an argumentative and rather strong-minded member of the family of European nations. And it's true that our geography has shaped our psychology. We have the character of an island nation - independent, forthright, passionate in defence of our sovereignty.

It is national parliaments, which are, and will remain, the true source of real democratic legitimacy and accountability in the EU.

I am not a British isolationist. I don't just want a better deal for Britain. I want a better deal for Europe too.

The EU must be able to act with the speed and flexibility of a network, not the cumbersome rigidity of a bloc. We must not be weighed down by an insistence on a one size fits all approach which implies that all countries want the same level of integration. The fact is that they don't and we shouldn't assert that they do.

The prime minister says he has a vision for change, well put that to the people of the country.

Whatever new arrangements are enacted for the Eurozone, they must work fairly for those inside it and out.