At a dinner in Brussels on Thursday, the leaders of the European Union will choose the first President of the European Council. The signs are that they will vote for Herman Van Rompuy, the prime minister of Belgium and – as we reveal today – a committed believer in just the sort of European federalism that the people of Britain loathe. Mr Van Rompuy is the architect of his party's manifesto, which calls for the abolition of "national symbols" in favour of EU licence plates, identity cards, sports events – and the imposition of a European anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, ripped out of its proper setting in his Ninth Symphony. Britain thought it had won the battle over the national anthem when the compulsory singing of the Ode was removed from the draft constitution. But, with Mr Van Rompuy installed in this new office, we can expect it to form part of a massive extension of the presence of the EU in our town halls, schools and at sporting events.