I don’t usually blog about the financial crisis, because there are many experts on the subject out there adding their perspective to the public debate, and I always think one should not blabber on about things one does not know enough about. What fascinates me is the tension that seems to be building up around the notion of ‘end game’. Today, 5 CEO’s of Dutch multinationals have sent a letter to the press, united in their sense of urgency around the crisis. When we read the papers, we learn that the clock is ticking, we have 7 more days before the Big Bang, the W word (war) has been uttered several times now, etc etc. It reminds me of Chicken Little, running around hollering that the sky is falling. I find the power struggle in Europe very interesting. In its wake, we have seen the demise of a few dysfunctional governments (good news), a beginning of budget discipline, and a few hitherto undiscussables on the table, such as stronger European coordination and less subsidiarity. Time is of the essence here. It seems to me that mrs Merkel is playing this card extremely skillfully.