The only thing to fear is...

As far as David Brooks is concerned, for Europeans it's a lot more than fear itself. He thinks that the 'no' votes in France and Holland are symptomatic of a broader fear of the unknown in Western Europe. For all parties involved, across the political and social spectrum, 'no' meant clinging on to some certainty in a world they see changing more than they are willing to admit.

One line that really rang out in my mind:

Anybody who has lived in Europe knows how delicious European life can be. But it
is not the absolute standard of living that determines a people's
morale, but the momentum. It is happier to live in a poor country that is
moving forward - where expectations are high - than it is to live in an
affluent country that is looking back. [...] The core fact is that the European
model is foundering under the fact that billions of people are willing to work
harder than the Europeans are. Europeans clearly love their way of life, but
don't know how to sustain it.

That's equally true on both sides of the bond as well, Mr Brooks.