And why in Europe, of all places?

"Why has the crisis of capitalism not become a political crisis for the centre-right? And why have conservatives in Europe had a better recession than their counterparts in America, which until recently seemed like the exception to the conservative mood in the rich democracies? True, the centre-right is not without hope there. [...] Even if their recent recovery proves to be enduring—which is, as yet, far from obvious—a puzzle remains as to why the European centre-right coped so much better during the economic crisis."

Economist: Old dogs and new tricks, February 11, 2010