Fresh-faced Aidan Burley provided a fine illustration of how divided the Conservatives are on Europe as he struggled through his speech during the Commons debate on whether to hold a referendum.
Mr Burley, Tory MP for Cannock Chase, explained that at the tender age of 32, he was born four years after the last referendum on the EU (or EEC as we knew it in those days) took place.
But despite this, he didn’t think this was the right time to hold a new referendum.
Oh dear. That didn’t go down well at all.
One MP shouted: “Nonsense!”. Another said: “Drivel!”
And somebody helpfully instructed Mr Burley: “Sit down!”
These weren’t opposition MPs shouting abuse. It was Mr Burley’s own side, as the Tory benches laid into one of their own.
But he was scarcely less confrontational, pointing out that employers in his own constituency had urged him to oppose a referendum.
He insisted: “I say to every Member who supports the motion, ‘Ask yourself one question: are you willing to jeopardise the recovery?’”
Voting for the motion “would be an indulgence”, Mr Burley added.
Those comments, harsh as they were, had some support on the Tory benches.
In fact, while some of the MPs sat around Mr Burley were shaking their heads, others were nodding in agreement as he spoke.
It’s only fair to point out that Labour also has divisions over Europe.
Birmingham MPs Gisela Stuart (Lab Edgbaston) and Roger Godsiff (Lab Hall Green) both want a referendum on the EU.
Steve McCabe (Lab Selly Oak) voted for a referendum partly, it appears, as a protest against the heavy-handed way the vote was handled by Labour leader Ed Miliband, who imposed a whip on Labour MPs and, it could be argued, did Mr Cameron a favour by helping the Government win the vote.
This should be a greater worry for Mr Miliband than those who defied him because of opposition to he EU.
But Labour’s divisions are small in scale compared to the splits within the Conservative Party.
The difficulty for Mr Cameron is that Mr Burley may well be right. Employers want stability – not uncertainty over EU membership.
