As you argue, the European social model enjoyed an amazingly low degree of external competition when it was forged in the wake of World War II, but its days are numbered now that the emerging economies have burst on the scene (“The Left’s Resignation Note,” December 13, 2008). Countries such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil have doubled the global labor pool in recent years, and the competition is growing fiercer by the day. The global recession will only speed up the social model’s demise, and the European left therefore finds little solace in the deepening gloom. “Honest European politicians know this,” as you point out, “and so, deep down, do most voters.” Most important, the youngest among them can gather this much, too. Deep, deep down, they know that the European social model is not meant for them, let alone their children. Riots like those that gripped Greece last week are likely to spread across the continent like wildfire as this knowledge takes root. With nothing to lose, the youth will go on a rampage. None the wiser, the European left will be left out once again, and the right will be caught holding the bag.