However, at one of the series of drinks parties Lady Thatcher held around 2006 for friends and allies at the Belgravia house which she used as her office, I was presumptuous enough to broach the subject. She had greeted me on arrival not with a welcoming handshake, but a denunciation of the latest assault on British sovereignty from Brussels. Acting on the belief that rhetoric should not be the exclusive preserve of politicians, I replied: "Well, why don't we just get out?"

Her look implied that I really was too naive for this world, but after a pause she said: "Well, I wouldn't mind that at all, but . . ." She inclined her head towards a group of Tory frontbenchers, including several former ministers, who were standing just a few feet away. All would have described themselves as Eurosceptics, but none, either then or since, has called for British withdrawal.

Her words confirmed what I already knew, but which I still wanted to hear, while her gesture indicated that in her view it was all too obvious that her party lacked the courage and conviction to do what was necessary. We may shortly find out whether she was right.