To Be In Florence Is To Reflect

I Have A Dreadful Feeling In My Bones That Future Historians May Write Of The May 2014 Elections: "this Was The Wake-up Call From Which Europe Failed To Wake Up."

I Love This Country, But The Union Jack Leaves Me Cold.

It Is Not Just That It Is Profoundly Offensive To The Leaders And People Of A Democratic Germany To Paint Hitler On The Wall (or On The Remnants Of The Wall). It Is Also Consummately Counterproductive. Such Sauce Does Not Make The Meat Of Substantive Criticism More Interesting. It Means That The Whole Dish Is Pushed Away. It Does Not Mean That Britain's Voice Is Listened To More Attentively In The Councils Of Europe. It Means That It Is Listened To Even Less.

One Thing, However, I Know With Certainty: Violence, Or The Direct Threat Of Violence, Of The Kind We Have Seen In The Past Few Days, Is Totally Unjustified As A Response To Any Published Word Or Image.

Europe Is A Woman, Now Middle-aged, Who Has Already Had A Number Of Heart Attacks And Is Currently Experiencing The Biggest Health Crisis Of Her Life, But One That Need Not Be Fatal.