European papers today have front-page photographs of Jean-Claude Juncker putting his arm round Alexis Tsipras. These two nonentities are, respectively, president of the European Commission and Greek prime minister. That familiar arm tells a story of collusion, shortsightedness, and contempt for the public. What a charade! Pretty well every informed commentator recommends that Greece resolve its financial crisis by dropping out of the European Union and issuing its own currency. But no, the EU is a historic mistake, and those who run it always propose to extend the mistake. Stock exchanges are rising in the expectation of done deals.

Coincidentally, the Islamic State has wired up the historic Syrian site of Palmyra, letting it be understood that they might destroy it at a moment of their choosing. Palmyra bears witness to the grandeur of Rome and its classical civilization before the Muslim invasion and conquest. On the edge of an unpropitious desert are huge stones, walls, and columns. The demolition of these magnificent ruins would not be mere vandalism, but another expression of contempt, this time the contempt that ISIS harbours for the West. No Juncker or Tsipras has taken any step to come to the rescue of Palmyra; there’s been no warning of consequences including retaliation to ISIS, not even a plea for tolerance. Evidently those who run the EU haven’t time to worry about history or archaeology because they are too busy with their EU political fantasy that has within it untold future harm.