Britain led the way in the popular uprising, with Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit movement taking almost a third of the vote and becoming the biggest single party in the European Parliament. Labour collapsed, the Tories were annihilated. The same pattern was repeated elsewhere. In Germany, a surge for the Greens brought the long dominant Christian Democrats their worst result in decades.

In France, Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally topped the poll, and the two traditional centrist parties – the Republicans and the Socialists – almost disappeared. Even more dramatic gains for the Eurosceptics could be found in Italy. The nationalist League was far in front, with 34 per cent of the vote, while the maverick, rebellious Five Star movement won 17 per cent, putting the Italian anti-EU forces in an absolute majority.

Populists also triumphed in Hungary, where the Viktor Orban Civic Alliance gained no less than 52 per cent of the vote, and in Poland, where the right-wing Law and Justice party was victorious with 46 per cent. Indeed, throughout Europe there were advances for anti-establishment politicians - whether it be the Greens in Ireland or the nationalists in Sweden.

Across Europe, people want their countries back. They have had enough of betrayal. They prefer to govern themselves rather than be ruled by unelected officials. They are tired of being labelled bigots simply for feeling a sense of patriotism, that noble ideal which is really an extension of love of family. The real extremists are those EU zealots who show contempt for the ideas of national pride and sovereignty.