TWO former grandees of British and American politics stuck their heads above the parapet recently. One, former PM Tony Blair and the other, one-time presidential hopeful John McCain.

Blair tends to raise the hackles of anyone who opposed the Iraq war, but in this instance, it is the message not the messenger we should listen to.

He said many things in his speech but the following tract stands out for me: “How hideously, in this debate, is the mantle of patriotism abused.

“We do not argue for Britain in Europe because we are citizens of nowhere.

“We argue for it precisely because we are proud citizens of our country – Britain – who believe that in the 21st century, we should maintain our partnership with the biggest political union and largest commercial market on our doorstep; not in diminution of our national interest, but in satisfaction of it.”

We are as a country in danger of throwing the baby of our economic success out with the bath water of all the things we think we loathe about Europe, much of which (straight bananas) we now know was not true.

Meanwhile, in Munich at the 2017 Security Conference, Senator McCain ended his speech with the following words: “Even now, when the temptation to despair is greatest, I refuse to accept the end of the West. I refuse to accept the demise of our world order.

“I refuse to accept that our greatest triumphs cannot once again spring from our moments of greatest peril, as they have so many times before. I refuse to accept that our values are morally equivalent to those of our adversaries.

“I am a proud, unapologetic believer in the West, and I believe we must always, always stand up for it – for if we do not, who will?”

The common factors that brought these speeches together was hope, and that we must have the determination and courage to stand up for what we believe is right.

DR BRIAN MATHEW Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for North Wiltshire