David Cameron promised a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Quite right, too. The British people ought to have a say on such constitutional matters. 

But the treaty is clearly about to be ratified - long before he enters No 10. So ratification will come on Gordon Brown's watch, and Mr Cameron is entirely irrelevant to the process.

That means a referendum would be pointless, because if the vote was 'yes' nothing would change, and if the vote was 'no'...nothing would change. We will be bound by the treaty.

It's expected that, as a result of ratification, Mr Cameron will instead promise some kind of renogotiation of our relationship with the EU.

And yet this change of policy is causing a huge rumpus, with accusations of betrayal.

Eh? The facts have changed. A referendum after ratification would be entirely pointless, with zero impact on anything. A renogotiation, on the other hand, might actually achieve something.  He will have made Tory policy more relevant rather than irrelevant. 

And yet Eurosceptics (of which I count myself one) are lambasting Mr Cameron for his behaviour.

Bonkers. Absolutely bonkers.