So when Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, calls for the creation of an EU army, he is not preaching heresy but common sense. With the Royal United Services Institute calculating that our armed forces face £35 billion of budget cuts and the loss of at least 15,000 troops in the next decade, the realm must assure its defence by banding together with its allies. Far from denouncing Mr Juncker, our political leaders should thank him for offering a signpost to the future.