Final thought. This is all both frightening and depressing. But although addressing these problems will be very difficult and, in many cases, very costly, it can be done. I think Europe is in a better place on these issues than it was a year ago; I’m optimistic that can continue.

10. We can only protect ourselves against threats we acknowledge.

But there are clear signs that the UK and other NATO and EU states have very serious Russian interference problems that pose a threat to their democracy and security.

For years, the UK has been allergic to talking about the issue of Russian influence in its politics, partly because neither of the traditional main parties has historically spotless on the issue of relations with Russian oligarchs.

Putin appears to operate in a misinformation bubble in which his circle tells him what he wants to hear. The idiotic decision to invade Ukraine appears to have been one consequence of this; his mistaken belief that Russia is winning on the battlefield is reportedly another.

It also depends on addressing two serious internal challenges: how to work around pro-Russian authoritarian leaderships in Europe, and how to hold North and South Europe together in a meaningful alliance despite divergent views on security priorities.

In 2017-21, many Europeans told themselves that Trump was a one-off and as long as they were patient, things would go back to normal. But four years later, Trump was back. People who should know better are saying the same again now.

Even if he isn’t as ill as rumours sometime suggest, he’s not going to be in power that much longer, even if he’s still in office. Everyone needs to think about what Russia after Putin means for the rest of us, and start planning to deal with it.

Mal abgesehen davon, dass es die CSU über fast 10 Jahre war, die die notwendigen Stromtrassen verhindert hat.