Quite right, JCB, the military treaty with France has nothing to do officially with the EU. However, there's a lingering suspicion that this is just one more step in a general dilution of sovereignty that seems to be an on-going process amongst EU states.
As for it being easy to pick one topic to knock the EU on, it's actually easy to pick a whole range of topics - the fact that we pay more in to the EU than we get out of it, the imposition of hundreds of new laws and restrictions that we haven't actually asked for, the totally skewed and unfair (both to ourselves and others) immigration system whereby a Canadian brain surgeon would have to jump through hoops to live here, but a Romanian beggar could walk straight in and start panhandling on the streets, the fact that while we are seeing cuts in our sevices, we will be paying more to the EU budget...I could go on.
As for your "mellowing" towards the EU, I would say most people have gone the other way. But who knows?...I could be wrong. However, as a true believer in democracy, I would be quite happy to accept the results of a referendum on membership. Unfortunately, Cameron, Milliband and Clegg don't believe in democracy, except when it's going their way, and as they're frightened of the hoi polloi not giving the "correct" answer, a referendum is still a long way away!
