Speed is of the essence. The negotiations on the intergovernmental treaty, the first EU treaty not to be signed by all 27 EU member states, kick off on Tuesday 20 December. A number of agreements have been negotiated and signed by groups of member states in the past, most of which were later added to the EU treaty, but this is the first time that a true treaty will be signed that one country refuses to join. It is also rare for talks of such import to begin the week before Christmas, but...