A recent poll pondering how fictional characters would vote in the EU referendum unsurprisingly returned Sir Humphrey Appleby as one of the biggest Europhiles going.
The Yes, Minister star, archetypal civil servant, would obviously love Brussels with its endless committees, commissions and arcane directives.
But in the Whitehall of today, Sir Humphrey (whose hilarious take on Europe is below) might find himself a little more isolated than he thinks.
Undoubtedly many mandarins cleave to the European ideal through sheer of instinct. And publicly they have to love it because it’s government policy.
But a buccaneering minority would relish nothing more than clawing back a great big chunk of Brussels’ powers for themselves.
Even some Treasury folk, lately employed forging ammo for Project Fear, would love the whole thing to fail and Brexit to ensue, Heat Street hears from reliable sources.
The reward for such an outcome is obvious – an unprecedented opportunity to re-shape the British government machine.
The Justice department would get to replace acres of EU law, Foreign Office types could remake alliances and start hammering out trade deals.
The Home Office could start polishing their boots and working their way down their wish-list of dangerous sorts long due a kicking-out.
While politicians are, for one side or other, giving it the hard sell, it is our army of homegrown bureaucrats who will actually do the legwork should we ditch Brussels for good.
Sir Humphrey may think it would spoil his tranquil evening drink – but many of his fresher, more ambitious underlings are bristling for the change.