And Shropshire’s upwardly mobile MP Owen Paterson was happy to acknowledge that he is among them.

Few people can be entirely surprised. The North Shropshire MP is a down-to-earth member of the Government who has a proven track record of being in tune with public opinion.

Before limping into Downing Street in the last general election, David Cameron made great play about offering the British public the chance to have their say on the Lisbon Treaty and EU issue.

What does he do instead? He panders to the demands of his coalition cohorts the Liberal Democrats, and gives the electorate a pointless referendum on voting reform instead.

And then he wonders why we feel cheated, believing the government talks a good game on Europe, but runs scared from tricky confrontation.

If the Tories really are to stand any chance of forming a majority government at the next election, they will have to rattle the bones of the giant skeleton in their closet and confront the EU issue once and for all.

As one of the rising stars of the party, Owen Paterson is fully aware of the importance of riding on the wave of public feeling, and giving voters what they want.

What is Mr Cameron afraid of? That if he dares to pose the question of whether we are better off in or out of Europe, the British public will serve up the ‘wrong’ answer?