Once upon a time, Europe was the most audacious idea politicians had come to forge and put in practice. In less than 50 years — hardly a beat by historical standards — the European Union became the richest, most numerous democratic area in the world. The process was not easy, and harmony would seldom prevail. There were fights, compromises, night-long bickering and negotiating, face-saving options, theatrical gestures (few heads of state could bang a handbag like Margaret Thatcher), but, on the whole, Europe would go forward.

First came a generation of visionaries, men who had survived wars and were so convinced their goal was right that they saw no need in explaining it to their people. Was that not the way, Jean Monnet thought, the Founding Fathers had invented America? Then came the statesmen — heads of state and government who could still think of long-term issues, not yet harassed by the electronic pace of markets and media. They did not always do right, of course. Citizens were told little about Europe — short of the usual charade that their national leaders were protecting them against evil Brussels technocrats. At the helm of the European Commission there were at times great leaders in their own right — the most towering figure, to this day, being Jacques Delors. Eventually governments would be thrown out of office for domestic reasons, and Europe would continue its haphazard, crab-like way, going backward, then forward, to the delight of experts who would debate endlessly about its intricacies. There was no emotion. Public opinion was not well informed — the basic assumption among politicians being that Europe would not bring them votes and among journalists that Europe was boring stuff that did not sell.

It was true. Except that the refusal to explain complex issues in times of global crisis, the exaltation of national interests, the choice of short-term solutions to enduring problems all have eventually taken their toll. Creating a common currency without harmonizing economic and fiscal policies has come to a dead end, as predicted.

Europe has stopped midway. Citizens rebel. They do not trust their governments and prefer to whistle to populist tunes. They believe their leaders are more sensitive to the plight of bankers than to their own. They think presidents, prime ministers and the like are indifferent — in fact, they are impotent.