I originally thought that high temperatures and summer atmosphere would be the key event of the summer. So I thought I would write this week’s column about, for example, the devastating fire that broke out in Rome exactly 1960 years ago, which led to tragic Emperor Nero’s settling his disputes with the Christians. Or that I will write about the fact that Angela Merkel, who - although for many years the superstar in politics of Europe or the world - has effectively disappeared from the world, turns 70 this week. The undignified way in which her CDU, and indeed the whole of Germany, got rid of her is glaring. I fundamentally disagreed with her on many things, but she was a product and an embodiment of Germany, not a politician who led Germany astray with her original leadership.
