Finding the von der Leyen speech quite heartbreaking, to be honest. It's a love bomb, of the sort which any sensible person would construct at this moment. But the scale of the historic error is dramatically clear.
Britain is barricading itself off from its own home. We're losing our place in the world. This is the start of a era of isolation and irrelevance.
It can't be stopped now. But this is a profound tragedy, for those who believe in Britain and those who believe in Europe. Pointless, without benefit, and in service of the worst instincts of our country.
We have to accept it, for the decade or so that it takes to reverse it - and it will eventually be reversed.
But we don't have to fucking like it. And we don't have to fucking support it either. This is, and will remain, a historic error.
One of the great dangers of the next period is a sense of British resentment at the EU as it is repeatedly outplayed during negotiations. This is something Swiss and Norwegian figures warn of - it was their experience.
Brexit figures in the UK will encourage that. As their own inane assessment of the trade talks fall apart, they will of course blame the EU for being intransigent, inflexible, arrogant etc. The usual - blame everyone but themselves.
But this doesn't have to happen. During exit talks, very few Brits blamed the EU, despite Britain being repeatedly outplayed.
The EU love-bomb approach, being quite clearly and cleverly put forward right now by von der Leyen, is clearly designed to try and prevent this.
And then there is the big difference. The Remain movement is an unprecedented thing. There is nothing else like it in the history of the EU or Britain.
In whatever new form it takes, under whatever name we choose to call it, it will need to constantly highlight the reality of what is happening, to prevent Brexiters blaming Europe for their own inadequacy. This will be one of its key tasks.
Ensuring the narrative now that will allow for reversal in a few years. Thankless shit, for sure. Fucking horrible long-term task. But a necessary requirement of eventually fixing this country.
