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The Lost Continent: The BBC's Europe Editor on Europe's Darkest Hour Since World War Two Hardcover – 25 Apr 2013

by Gavin Hewitt (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 26 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (25 April 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1444764799
  • ISBN-13: 978-1444764796
  • Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 3.3 x 24.1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 517,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

A sharp diagnosis of a very European sickness... Hewitt has done a thorough job piecing together the closed door action. (Charles Bremner The Times)

excellent, sweeping... this well-crafted book should be essential reading for those clinging dogmatically to the creed of integration. (Leo McKinstry Daily Express)

'An accessible bird's-eye view'. (Sunday Times)

A work of lively reportage showing a perceptive awareness of how the political and economic dramas vary from one country to another. (Tony Barber Financial Times)

The BBC's Europe editor, Gavin Hewitt, brings to bear the kind of perspicacity and insight we have come to expect from this seasoned correspondent in his excellent THE LOST CONTINENT, which examines the slow death of the European dream and how the crisis we are still living through was allowed to happen. (Choice)

Blow-by-blow account of the horrors of the euro drama. (Economist)

About the Author

Gavin Hewitt has been the BBC's Europe Editor since 2009, and is uniquely placed to write the story of these extraordinary times. Previously he had worked as a Special Correspondent for the BBC Ten O`Clock News and for Panorama. He is an award-winning journalist and has covered stories all over the world.

He is the author of two previous books: one on Terry Waite, and A Soul on Ice: A Life in News (2005).

Visit Gavin's blog: www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/gavinhewitt/gavin_hewitt/ or follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BBCGavinHewitt

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Customer Reviews

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant overview European situation
By Kenneth Watkin on 3 Aug. 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Mr. Hewitt writes engagingly on a topic that affects us all. The story is crystal clear throughout and supplies us with up to the minute information that I found riveting. A "must" read for anyone with a desire to understand what is happening in Europe right now.
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3.0 out of 5 starsA solid recounting of what happened but no insight as to why
By Nick Lincoln on 3 July 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Let's get this straight out in the open: Any account of almost anything to do with the EU is never going to be easy to tell. Such is the nature of the beast, of the labyrinthine complexities that this bureaucratic behemoth generates at will. Mr Hewitt does an admirable job of breaking down the breaking down of the pro-Euro consensus from 2007 onwards.

There is, however, little insight or opinion. Hewitt recounts meeting after meeting and records what was discussed and agreed. In a way it is more like a collection of news reports from the period. Perhaps it is supposed to be? But one longs for some personal input from the author. After a while, chapter after chapter about interminable meetings, agreed actions and then failure to take them grates.

Two important takeaways from the book. Firstly, for those that believe the Anglo-Saxon capitalist model is not despised by mainland Europe, dream on; the bitterness and resentment is palpable. Secondly, the pro-EU, pro-Euro bureaucrats and politicians are not economically literate; they really did (do?) think the markets damned the Euro, not the other way around. Stunning naivety - and stunning arrogance from those involved, who make continual noises about somehow circumventing the market each and every time bond yields rose!

The final chapters dwell on the mounting hysteria in Greece and Spain, on riots and soup kitchens; on "Shining Dawn" and other extremist groups. Nothing is mentioned at all of mainstream pro-Sovereignty parties in Europe. No mention of UKIP, for example. This is more than odd, even for an author whose primary employer would appear to be the BBC.
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4.0 out of 5 starsA good account of the EU's self-induced crisis
By William Podmore on 1 April 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a fascinating survey of the EU’s self-induced crisis.

Hewitt notes, “The Celtic Tiger had been built on a property bubble, fuelled by cheap money.” In just ten years, property prices quadrupled. As the Irish Times put it, “Having obtained our political independence from Britain to be masters of our own affairs, we have surrendered our sovereignty to the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.” Hewitt describes the bail-out script: ‘the long defence, the frantic cost-cutting, the rising borrowing costs, the humiliation and the terms of surrender’.

The then President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, said, “There is no sovereignty any more. Only the markets are sovereign.” Roger Altman, the former US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, said, “Financial markets have become a ‘global supra-government. They oust entrenched regimes where normal political processes could not do so. They force austerity, banking bail-outs and other policy changes … They have become the most powerful force on earth.”

Barroso claimed in 2010 that the euro was ‘a protective shield against the crisis’. But as Hewitt observes, “The single currency was supposed to be a building block towards closer European integration, melding countries together. The opposite was happening.”

As Hewitt points out, “Research done by a respected international polling organisation found that ‘the European project stands in disrepute across much of Europe’. No country, it found, was more disillusioned with Europe than France: 77 per cent of those polled believed European economic integration had made things worse.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsBroad coverage of the current situation
By MB2009SX on 10 May 2013
Format: Hardcover
This is an excellent for those who want a background to the crisis and the events that have unfolded, and will appeal to those without an understanding of economics too. There are I feel a few things passed over, such as the issue of France and French debt problems, which are mentioned though only briefly. Hewitt also repeatedly refers to the German dominance and insisting on reforms, and the damage caused by these reforms and cuts being demanded, though does so in a very one sided manner, completely failing to outline the alternatives that would exist if the Euro collapsed.

Worth a read, even with the numerous spelling errors/typos throughout.
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5.0 out of 5 starswell written and interesting
By Maggie Tierney on 22 Oct. 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
well written and interesting. We used this as the text for a work book club and had a good conversation about Europe on the strength of it.
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4.0 out of 5 starsAn extremely interesting read.
By E. Phillips on 1 Mar. 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Very easy reading and explained in layman`s terms the implications both economical and social for the populations of those stricken countries within the Eurozone. It is apparent from the book that the so called economic technocrats who failed to see the financial crash coming now have the power to try to rectify the situation with a "The Markets Rule" approach with no thought at all to the social consequences of their actions. The book also highlights how powerful The German economy now is within the Eurozone.
The book is a must read for everyone who might be called upon to vote in a possible Europe referendum in the UK in 2017. It will also be helpful to those who wish to understand the problems that might be encountered should Scotland vote to leave the union but be allowed to maintain the pound sterling. I recommend the book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsWhy leave the EU?

Excellent. The truth about the rotten, corrupt and bureaucratic EU

Published 5 months ago by N. O. Miller
5.0 out of 5 starsexcellent

A clear well written account of events this is a must read for voters in the forthcoming referendum.
Brexit never seemed more obvious.

Published 8 months ago by T S.
3.0 out of 5 starsMy husband read it and said it was excellent.

Started reading this but got a bit bogged down with it. My husband read it and said it was excellent .

Published 21 months ago by House Fairy
5.0 out of 5 starsVery good

Excellent read, well researched and eloquently written.

Published 22 months ago by N. de Cort
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent read and hugely entertaining.

Published on 22 Oct. 2014 by Leroy Stewart
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Excellent read, and easy to understand. Very well researched. No wonder the EU is in such a mess.

Published on 13 July 2014 by David R. Taylor
4.0 out of 5 starsThe currency that will kill the E.U. dream?

MR Hewitt's book gives an insight into the crisis effecting Europe & how Democracy is becoming the slave of capitalism , an interesting , thought provoking & somewhat frightening... Read more

Published on 12 Jun. 2014 by Unclegargameld
5.0 out of 5 starsWell worth a read

Well worth a read. Wery interesting. Would recommend read this book as it fills in the gaps otherwise difficult to get to grips with.

Published on 11 Mar. 2014 by The Riddler
3.0 out of 5 starsWorth reading for those on both sides of the European debate

Good clear summary of key events. As the other three star reviewer pointed out, slanted against Germany and the institutions. Read more

Published on 31 Jan. 2014 by Simon
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent

Fascinating account of the personal politics of European leaders, and their impact on the Euro Crisis - which is not over yet - sobering to realise that EU leaders seem to have no... Read more

Published on 24 Jan. 2014 by Mujum

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