Zone and No Zone

Strictly speaking the EU summit meeting starting today is an all-EU members gathering. But the business is likely to be confined strictly to matters of immediate concern to the seventeen euro zone members who are faced with a crisis in the future of their currency.

What is the role, therefore, of Britain and the other nine non-euro zone members?
On his arrival yesterday in Brussels, Mr Cameron put it rather bluntly.
Having referred to the efforts Germany and its supporters will make to move towards a fiscal union, he said: “Britain is going to stay out of that. We want Europe to work for us, as a single market, a place where we trade, a place where we co-operate. I'm going in there to make sure we get the safeguards to make sure that can keep happening.” Mr Cameron is in a dilemma over the EU. He has to speak toughly, even roughly, when he is in Brussels in order to reassure his restive eurosceptic backbench MPs that he is not being soft over EU issues.

But in doing so he rubs up the wrong way his few supporters among other EU leaders.
The statement I have just quoted is all take and no give.
Even in the extremity of its current crisis there is more to the EU than a market place, important though that is.