"It may be that, without the UK holding things back, the ever closer union will progress more quickly, but it would have happened anyway."

You really are hanging on to this for dear life, aren't you? Ever closer union requires steps over which we have a veto, Nigel. Those steps can't happen at all without our say so. It would not "happen anyway." We have already stopped any moves towards an European army. Of course, without our influence, undesirable things MAY occur in what will still be our biggest trading partner, and we will have no say in the trading rules that we will still have to stick to. Oh, and tariffs. Making spiffin' deals with the likes of China and the US will take years and years, all in the context of their protectionism and, in many cases, low standards. Of course, the elephant in the room is our financial services sector, which we still aren't hearing much about in spite if its being four-fifths of our economy. You won't be getting much from the US and China on that score.