Sauerkraut

Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, has taken a gander at the parlous state of the global economy and put the blame right where it belongs: on the absurdly unrealistic expectations of European social democracy capitalism.

"We have a general morality gap, we are over-leveraged, we have neglected to invest in the future, we have undermined social coherence, and we are in danger of completely losing the confidence of future generations," said Klaus Schwab, host and founder of the annual World Economic Forum.

"Solving problems in the context of outdated and crumbling models will only dig us deeper into the hole.

"We are in an era of profound change that urgently requires new ways of thinking instead of more business-as-usual," the 73-year-old said, adding that "capitalism in its current form, has no place in the world around us."

Well, good news, Klaus! There are some folks right there near your confab in Davos, Switzerland who can help you articulate your problem with capitalism, “in its current form.”

The Occupy WEF protestors have built igloos in the middle of the village perched 1,500 metres above sea level and are planning a protest against those they call "self-proclaimed elites."

Here’s my two-cents-worth, Klaus: there’s very little wrong with free enterprise capitalism that a general loosening of the heavy hand of the state won’t cure. Of course, there’s the slim possibility that you’re talking about the kind of crony capitalism practiced by our own Venture-Capitalist-in-Chief - in which case I’m with you a hundred percent.