The current fiscal crisis in Europe has already led to an erosion of democracy. Lessons from history need to be learnt — the political role of technocrats must be curbed

In 1953 Thomas Mann called “not for a German Europe, but a European Germany”. Now we have both—and neither is happy

Greeks have been fiddling the books ever since Agamemnon. Where else do you find such private generosity and public irresponsibility?

The over-generous Italian welfare state means that for all the belt-tightening, most people in the country still enjoy la dolce vita