Britain's membership in the European Union hangs on the outcome of a knife-edge election in four weeks' time, but the issue and that of the country's wider global role have been largely absent from a campaign narrowly focused on domestic worries.
It's not unusual for British elections to be dominated by schools, hospitals and taxes, but foreign policy debate has rarely been so slight as before the May 7 vote.
Many diplomats say this reflects Britain's shuffle from the global stage and a self-inflicted downgrading of its military and diplomatic muscle.