On Portillo, he must have travelled half the railways of the world in those pink trousers of his. It's just striking how few eloquent modern Tory politicians, or Labour ones for that matter, the… (View Post)

Interesting header. Poland has a rich history, but i must say I wouldn't advocate it becoming a regional superpower until it makes some substantial social and intellectual changes. The prevailin… (View Post)

Perhaps, although no link provided, but we've heard that phrase to justify threats somewhere more recently nearer to home, too. Varoufakis's record of opposing the Stalinists and throughout… (View Post)

Britain, ofcourse, made an important contribution to ensuring it stayed there. Greek independence was a massive blow to Ottoman ambitions to return to central/eastern Europe, and the beginning of the… (View Post)

I suppose HYUFD has a point in one respect - the UK did seem to be more interested in Greece, and during Disraeli's time southern parts of the Balkans nearer to it, than central-eastern Europe. … (View Post)