Well put, Kwicky. The amount of melodrama attached to the idea of a European 'superstate' is ludicrous. Politicians aren't trying to turn the UK into some kind of subordinate federal state, they're simply trying to introduce a more coherent structure to the Union.
Personally? I quite like the kind of twilight the UK has found itself in between the EU and US. Frankly, I don't see what the problem is with having a close relationship with one of the world's most powerful nations*
At the same time, I also quite like the benefits drawn from the EU (despite the fact that we don't really need to be in the EU to enjoy the economic ones). It's worth noting that roughly 40% of our trade comes from the EU. But we've also actually gained a stronger foreign position without acting like the Imperial nation we no longer are. The UK is only subject to EU law which it has agreed to as a sovereign decision in itself, and has a significant voice in shaping policy that affects all other member states.
*(and before anyone starts trying to make it that we're a kind of American puppet - we're not. Granted, Blair has rather idiotically pinned us to US foreign affairs in Iraq, but regardless of how half-witted that was, that's a long way from being a satellite. We're probably one of the most right-wing of Western-European countries, and the USA shares some of our core beliefs. That's by no means a bad thing.)