Threats from Berlin

Mysteriously enough this sabre rattling from Berlin by a M.N. Habbar, is as far as I can tell only published in the Khaleej Times, linked here. It provides a reasonably precise and concise history of Britain's time in the EU but makes some pretty strange observations towards its conclusion including this:

"No surprise then that the Brussels establishment see British voters as exceptionally ignorant and the British government as cowardly in making an effective case for Europe. Indeed, it has been hinted that Eurosceptics were acting in bad faith because if the referendum were lost, the EU would be hoist with more years of institutional wrangling. "Have the British contemplated a “worst case scenario” – an exit from the EU Club? Not a few would actually welcome it, especially those who view Britain as an exasperating obstacle to European unity. In case Britain is tempted, it should be a relief to know that the Lisbon treaty, for the first time, provides for just such a contingency. Valery Giscard d’Estaing, a former French president, and head of the drafting committee, has let it be known that any country that fails to ratify the Lisbon treaty should seek a special status or leave. More to the point, he has identified Britain as a likely candidate."