jake, much as I admire you in most things your EU fanaticism is becoming a little unbalanced.
The USA is a super power as well. But if the UK were absorbed into it without the consent of its people I would object on simple democratic grounds.
The people of the UK had no idea what the EU Constitution (aka Lisbon treaty) involved because Gordon Brown bypassed a discussion of it by his shameful welshing on his pledge to give us a referendum.
The consequence is that, to add to the unelected Commission which makes so many laws to govern us, we now have an unelected President, an unelected Foreign Minister with a staff of 7000 and a EU which can now enter into treaties in its own right.
What's more (and the electorate certainly didn't know this) the EU can now go back and change any clause in that Lisbon Treaty without consulting anyone.
Was it that you never believed in democracy, jake, or have you changed in recent years?