ROFLMAO

"The word "protection" is no longer taboo," he said. "Competition as an ideology, as a dogma, what has it done for Europe?" He said a competition policy could emerge "that will favour the emergence of European champions".

So, who's "he" you ask? Why it is our good friend Nick Sarkozy, the man who is going to bring economic reform and renewed vitality to France.

What exactly did our man do to re-legitimize protectionism and government favoritism in the EU? He insisted on having the words "undistorted competition" removed from the list of EU goals in the new draft of the constitution.

But Nick, can it really be so simple?

EU lawyers insist the removal of "undistorted competition" from the Union's objectives will have no legal impact on the European Commission's powers to police cartels and anti-competitive behaviour.

Oh, never mind. (and, as Mungowitz likes to say, "read the damn article here")