I know very little about Swiss politics. In fact I know very little about Switzerland beyond acknowledging it has long-standing banking secrecy laws and makes fine chocolate. So this week I was surprised to learn that they also had black and white sheep. Now I'm considered the black sheep of the family so I listened intensely to this radio news report. It turned out that the right-wing, anti-EU, Swiss People's Party were about to usher in a new wave of anti-European politics to this tiny country along with a desire to rid the country of 'foreign criminals'. Now that's something which really made me sit up and take notice. Apparently their controversial advertising campaign showing white sheep kicking black sheep from the country had worked in their favour. That advertising, allegedly was a reference to these so-called 'foreigner criminals' and was not a racist stance on immigration in general. Unfortunate choice of advertising campaign then I think, and I was not convinced that they were not referring to immigration! After all, since when have the Swiss cared about Africa!

The spokesperson on the radio enthusiastically announced that they (The Swiss People's Party) wanted to return the country to the 'old days'! A very nostalgic thought, but one that is a very thinly disguised racist comment I believe. The election result was the ‘best they had achieved since 1919’ the spokesperson claimed. Now that really got we listening and thinking...

...Switzerland, that bastion of Nazi looted art and treasure and hoader of 'dodgy' money were going back to the 'old days'? Now that is worrying.

Ordinarily I would not put pen to paper on such occasions since everyone knows the Swiss hoard cash for criminals and have never fully provided restitution for the spoils of Nazi looted art. Everyone except the Swiss that is and going back to the 'old days' can only be a negative for the rest of the Europe.

This election result though, comes hard on the heels of a comment by the German Cardinal Joachim Meisner during his sermon in the Cologne Cathedral on Sept. 16 when he claimed, "Wherever culture is separated from the worship of God, the cult atrophies in ritualism and culture becomes degenerate...'

Well whenever you put the word ‘culture’ with ‘degenerate’ in the same sentence you always end up with a direct reference to the Nazis and their views on European art in the 1930s. This is absolutely guaranteed to inflame any Holocaust survivor and their families. It is not rocket science!

Now I understand the current anxiety in the wider Christian Church at the moment regarding ‘the way forward’ and their internally-bred fears that surround the Church with the growth of the Islamic religion across Europe, but such a direct Fascist-based reference was bound to inflame many across Europe, not least the newspapers that reported the Cardinal's outspoken viewpoint.

The final throw of the racist dice came a few days ago when Dr James Watson, the eminent Genet6ic scientist and Nobel Prize Winner, attempted to connect race with intelligence, a very outdated story anyway, but one that came hard on the heels of of those from Switzerland and Germany.

In relatively quick succession , we had been subjected to the Switzerland of 1919, the Germany of 1933 and probably not lastly, the racist attitudes of the Victorians such as those of Thomas Carlisle (who incidentally studied German Literature and Philosophy). Carlisle was one of the first to raise the 'Nigger question' as he indelicately stated it, in an extremely poisonous debate (at today's values and sensitivities) about the British Empire's colonies during the mid 19th century.

Something is amiss with Europe at this time. Something very profound is happening within our midst. It may or may not be caused by the sudden influx of immigrants to Europe. Immigrants anyway are needed in Western Europe we hear this week so what is happening?

I do not profess to have the answers but I fear that Europe is approaching yet another period of intense intolerance and disquiet, whereby any minority, Jew, Gypsy, African, etc. is inevitably going to be held responsible for all of Europe's ills.

Whatever the cause(s), deep prejudices are resurfacing, even from within scholarly circles, such as theological, scientific, political and cultural. It may say Nostalgia on the cover but alas the contents are more dangerous and alas more poisonous than the lid suggests.

Within Europe's borders lies a new heart of darkness that is both self-destructive and open to abuse and excess. Europe's citizens take heed.