“The question for Britain should never have been construed as one of what is best for Britain. It should always have been a question of how Britain can be its best. The question cannot be reduced to one of whether Britain is stronger in Europe. Strength, when unaccompanied by other virtues, ceases to be a virtue itself. So does self-determination: pushed to the extreme it means making no commitments to anyone, which is hardly an exemplary mode of living. Of course none of this answers the question of what Britain should decide in the referendum. It is only to say how voters should construe the question. A Britain that thinks only of its material self-interest or its strength, especially in a way that makes a travesty of the facts, is far from being the best nation it could be – in or out of the EU. I fear that it is too late for the British to change their way of thinking about the question in time for the referendum. But, perhaps fortunately, this is almost certainly not the last time the question will come up.”
