I’ve always thought that there was a touch of Brezhnev about the way that the EU bureaucracy is run, but this….

“The European Commission has been accused of trying to have troublesome staff declared mentally ill in order to provide an excuse for giving them the sack. Critics claim that the commission has resorted to tactics “worthy of the KGB” by pronouncing staff unfit for work after grillings from psychiatrists….Among the signs of mental disorder allegedly detected in one official were of “megalomania and paranoia”. Another document said that he “suffers from an astonishing lack of daily awareness in the world of work”.

The official is, understandably enough, disputing the diagnosis, but maybe he should take a different tack. To anyone familiar with the shambles in Brussels, megalomania, paranoia and an “astonishing lack of daily awareness” all seem to be typical features of the EU at work.

The poor guy should admit to all these disorders and put in for a promotion.