In Berlin an assumption seems to be made that liberty, democracy and sovereignty are luxuries which Europe – or at least its weaker sisters – cannot afford in an age of austerity. This is of a piece with a sneaking admiration for Vladimir Putin: once a KGB colonel in communist Dresden, now Germany’s (and Europe’s) energy tsar. Only in Germany could a former leader walk into a job on Putin’s payroll straight after leaving office, as Chancellor Merkel’s predecessor, Gerhard Schöder did in 2005. In their hearts, most Germans know that they need Britain: not only as a market, but also as a mentor. For much of their history, and especially in their “zero-hour” after 1945, Germans have looked across the North Sea for inspiration. In Brussels, Mrs Merkel underestimated the importance of keeping the British on board. Now, as we watch the slow-motion implosion of the eurozone, she may recall Bismarck’s tribute to Disraeli at the Congress of Berlin: “The old Jew! That is the man.” David Cameron may be no Disraeli – but then Merkel is no Bismarck either. Europe is now being redesigned in Berlin. But the architects of a free economy and an open society can only be found in Britain.

(Dr. Benny Peiser)