Federalism is often thought of as a dirty word by many Eurosceptics, considered a European idea completely un-British. The reason right-wing Conservatives want out of the EPP is because of its federalist principles, while for UKIP federalism is one of many reasons we should leave the EU all together.

Yet federalism is a concept that originates in Britain. British colonists were responsible for setting up the US federal system. Britain also ensured many of its former colonies adopted a federal structure, such as Australia, India, Nigeria and Canada. Following the second world war Britain was also influential in encouraging a decentralized federal system in Germany.

The founder of the European Federalist movement, Altiero Spinelli, was inspired by a pre-war British group called Federal Union who aimed to combat the spread of totalitarianism by pushing democracies to federate.

A report on the BBC website reveals a book called “The Case for Federal Union”, written by a William Curry in 1939, managed to sell 100,000 copies in just six months. They advocated many ideas that are now integral to the EU, including an elected European Parliament.

I attended an academic conference last Saturday at the University of Kent, that traced the British tradition of federalism through its various manifestations over the last 200 years, and a fascinating conference it was, highlighting the role Britain has played in bringing federalism to the world, including of course Europe.

But of course, federalism, as properly defined, does not mean a centralized system, let alone a “superstate”. It simply means having different levels of governance to deal with problems of different scale, each level having a defined remit, a degree of autonomy and its own democratic accountability. The system should be as decentralized as possible, centralized only where necessary. A bit like the current EU, according to the academics present in Canterbury.