The EU track record is poor on fulfilling promises.

Well, there we have it.  Forget the Brakes and all the other stuff that the pro EU spin doctors are pushing out this afternoon, the real meat is the agreement says Mr Cameron's demand to exempt Britain from the EU principle of "ever closer union" between member states would be written into a future treaty. 

And there’s the nub of this debate.  A promise to do something, but yet to be put into practice.  If it was written into a future treaty before a referendum, all well and good.  But as we all know a promise isn’t always a promise in the corridors of the EU. So why would we believe a future treaty actually would include it?  Surely the best evidence would be for the EU to get such an agreement in a treaty in place before our referendum, then we would know they were being honest to their word.

And my evidence for such skepticism? What of the Red Card proposal.  Well, we’ve seen this before, the smoke and mirrors.  As Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott notes, "These gimmicks have been ignored by the EU before and will be ignored again as they will not be in the EU treaty."  And sadly he is right.

Only the most naive of our fellow UK citizens would think the idea we are being sold that a joint 'red card' is some sort of victory. It is not, it’s just frankly ludicrous  to suggest otherwise.

What of Britain Stronger in Europe? Their take is the "red card" proposal and the plans to curb benefits "or equivalent concessions" would "represent a significant victory for the prime minister and underline that Britain is stronger in Europe".

Given the EU desperately don’t want us to leave, (and you can see why, as trade will continue unabashed whether we are in or out, businesses will see to that), all the cards were in Mr Cameron hand for him to come home with a genuine offering.  Instead, when he  was dealt all thirteen spades in a game of Bridge, he has somehow done the impossible and ended up losing.  How and why he did it, perhaps we’ll never know.