The wind has changed direction. To devote the first comment of the new year to an assessment of the previous year is an almost compulsory ceremony which I do not intend evading, even though there are no surprises for readers having had the patience to follow this section on quite a regular basis. No surprises, as I shall not recant. Since the spring I've been repeating that criticisms levelled at Europe had exceeded reasonable limits, especially when the systematic denigration extended to...