The New York Times Saturday Profile of December 3 features an interesting look at former Communist (PCI) and current president of Italy Giorgio Napolitano (“From Ceremonial Figure to Italy’s Quiet Power Broker“). While it may not be necessary to be reminded that Eurocommunism was essentially an euphemism for class collaboration, it is striking the degree to which the left of yesterday is now directly responsible for Europe’s regime of austerity (Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commision and a figure even more powerful than Re Giorgio, was a Maoist during the Portuguese Revolution). The left of today, it goes without saying, has absolutely no idea how to combat the crisis.