Sir John Major, the former Conservative Party prime minister, recently warned against falling into the trap of what he ironically termed "splendid isolation," or a British exit from the European Union, known as the "Brexit."

The European Union is not a perfect organization (what is?) and could benefit from reform, but think back to the first half of the 20th century and previous centuries when Europe was devastated by wars caused by nationalism, ideology and greed. Europe has many problems, but war between any of the EU states is now unthinkable.

Britain did not suffer occupation, but its cities were bombed and it only just managed to survive in 1940. Britain played a leading role in the formation of NATO and with France and Germany it is one of the three most populous and economically advanced countries in Europe. Its economy and culture are indissoluble from those of Western Europe. A British exit from the EU would gravely damage Britain and would be a serious blow to the union.