Out of the darkness, into the light...

It has been a rather more cheering day here in the pearl of the Baltics, Tallinn. The buzz of political debate has given me a sense of urgency, so I've been getting on with the sort of tasks that fall upon me to perform.

And yes, I've spoken to my Regional Candidates Chair and the Chair of the Brussels and Europe Local Party, exchanged e-mails with the Chair of Federal International Relations Committee, the ALDE Party Council delegation - we're due to be in Ljubljana the weekend before polling day, and I'm expecting some withdrawals, not unreasonably.

I've also offered some support where it might be useful over the next seven weeks, so we'll see how that goes.

Meanwhile, I'm in the Baltics, on holiday, and it's a perfect place from which to contemplate the notion of being European. From Estonia, the concept of being part of Europe is so much more obvious than it appears at home. For a country with a population of just 1.3 million people, on the edge of the Union and facing the Russian bear at close range, the notion of pooling some sovereignty in exchange for a range of benefits is more than simply transactional. Freedom was hard fought for in these parts, and you don't just blithely give it away.

But you are willing to consider the benefits of a larger roof, and better protection against the elements, the opportunities that come from being part of a vast market when you have confidence in your ability to compete and thrive, the freedoms that come from travelling to your neighbours and friends, of education and trade.

It seems that our Government on one hand believes that we can strike out as a global trading nation, yet lacks the confidence to believe that it can build a better Europe from within. And as for those who not only want to leave the Union but are desperate for it to fail, one can only condemn them for their pettiness and spite. Fine, leave if you want to, but don't interfere with something that those who remain want to succeed.

The history of the Baltics has often been of the tragic kind, with the urge for freedom suppressed by more powerful neighbours time and again. For more than a quarter of a century now, they have been making their presence felt on the world stage, and perhaps we should listen to their voices and find ways of benefiting from their experiences before we close the door on our way out of the European Union.