Tainted Source: Undemocratic Origins of the European Idea [Paperback]

* 'Cannot be ignored by anyone who holds strong opinions on the future of Europe' Anne Applebaum,

'Original and challenging'

The author of this text argues that an ideology is sweeping Europe and the world which threatens democracy and the rule of law. The "post-national ideology", which posits that nation-states are no longer capable of running their own affairs in a modern, interdependent economy, is shown to confuse the constitution of a state with the power of its government, and to ignore the importance of the sense of community essential to democratic debate. Laughland seeks to provide a synthesis of historical and philosophical arguments, and make a powerful appeal in favour of the constitutional foundations of the liberal order. Post-national structures - multinational companies, "region-states" and supranational organizations such as the European Union - are argued to be corrosive of liberal values; the author shows the ideology as a crucial core of Nazi economic and political thinking.

Renowned as a commentator on European affairs for the WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE, the SPECTATOR and the SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, John Laughland taught politics and philosophy in Paris for five years at the Sorbonne.