Mark Carney's EU delusion

One of the greatest works of Central European literature is The Man Without Qualities. Set in the lead up to the First World War, Robert Musil's unfinished novel depicts a society sleepwalking into catastrophe. The main character is Ulrich, who became involved in what Musil called the "Parallel Campaign": a doomed pre-war initiative to plan the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef's 70th jubilee, scheduled for 1918. The campaign gathered intellectuals and aristocrats engaged in deep discussions about culture, philosophy and national glory — but history intruded on their plans. Austria-Hungary was about to enter a war it was eager to fight, but for which it was not prepared. Franz Josef died in 1916, and the First World War ended with the break-up of his ancient empire.