On 14 September, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began her speech - with reference to Ukraine and Russia - with a key sentence. If we look at this sentence from a different perspective, the alternative speech script almost unfolds itself.

Instead of engaging in substantial political discourse within and outside their own ranks, the EU elite continue to promulgate dogmata to justify their ignorance of one another’s sovereignty.

From today's point of view, the result of the general elections, in one way or another, is for the British to withdraw from the EU. Clarity could only be achieved by a new referendum or by a withdrawal of the resignation request before January 31st, 2020.

The EU cannot deal with the withdrawal of Member States. But isn’t this crisis a symptom that our political systems are eroding? Democratic institutions lack the means and possibilities to solve today’s complex problems.