Dear Reader, this Beacons was written before Mr Conte's appointment last night to the head of the Italian government. It follows on from the previous Beacons.
By virtue of remaining obstinately shut off in their national citadels, the democrats of Europe are losing ground and sliding headlong into their own downfall. The current distressing scenes playing out in Italy cannot be properly understood without taking into account the denial of European democracy that is their root cause.