Clever people have been pointing out for more than 15 years that reliance on Russian hydrocarbons was suicidal, but democracy means always taking the quick easy way out until catastrophe strikes. So now Europe has an energy crisis. But that doesn't mean Europe is fucked. It simply means more borrowing, more waste, higher taxes, and some very painful adjustments that should have been made gradually over the last 15 years.

Europe now faces a choice between mindless far-right populism that will truly shred European economies and the European way of life, or a series of hasty emergency measures that will be ineffectual, wasteful, hugely expensive, but just enough to maintain some vague sense of cohesion.

Or, of course, both paths will be taken simultaneously, along with pressuring Ukraine into "negotiating" with Russia (e.g. surrendering occupied territories and waiting for the next Russian invasion) in the hope this will persuade Putin to turn the gas taps back on, at least for a little while.