If Spain goes under, Italy will come under even more scrutiny.

If governments let themselves be fully bound by the decisions of their parliaments without protecting their own freedom to act, a breakup of Europe would be a more probable outcome than deeper integration.

Europe has to avoid old prejudices and new ones. That means north versus south, rich versus poor.

As to the question of elected or not elected, each member of the European Commission has been appointed jointly by the governments of the 15 member states, and undergone individual scrutiny and a vote of confidence from the European Parliament.

It is very unusual for a country to ask guys who are not politicians to come and run the country.

There was in Italy a hidden demand for a boring government which would try to tell the truth in non-political jargon.

Growth in any individual European country has to be the result of policies for growth pursued in that country consistent with budgetary discipline.