Nuclear proliferation - the proliferation of WMDs altogether - is one of the greatest dangers of our time.

After saying yes to Turkey, the EU is having difficulty finding clear and consistent grounds for saying no to other, still more remote candidates - but being in the general vicinity of Europe does seem to be a continuing requirement.

Canadians tend to be a bit more religious than most Europeans - though not more than the Poles or Ukrainians. Most important, their attitude to immigration and ethnic minorities is more positive than that of most Europeans.

Nuclear proliferation - the proliferation of WMDs altogether - is one of the greatest dangers of our time.

But transitions from the politics of violence to democratic compromise are always messy.

The whole project of European Union is one in deep trouble.

That said, the question remains: how to strike the balance between free speech and mutual respect in this mixed-up world, both blessed and cursed with instant communication? We should not fight fire with fire, threats with threats.