The times have been fraught with care for many people lately. The disappearance of the Malaysian Airways flight, mysterious and drawn out, has been unsettling. One can only imagine the anxiety of loved-ones trying to deal with this radical uncertainty.

Then there is the equally mystifying behaviour of Russia in invading the Crimea and, at the time of writing, maintaining a sizeable force on the Ukrainian border. One can argue that Russia has been neglected and mishandled by the West. There is a good case to be put. On the other hand, bribery and brute force seem simplistic and out of date in the modern era, particularly if one looks at the relative success of the EU in dealing with formerly intractable state rivalries.

Today I read a report by a respected investment expert who thinks that a far deeper financial crisis than the GFC is about to descend upon us. He has a very good track report as a pundit, but I hope that on this occasion he is wrong. Economic crisis at a time of political instability is a very bad recipe for much worse. I don't think that I need to spell it out.