It's the economy, stupid - as rows bubble up all over the planet

As Labour's Frank Field - one of the few Labour MP's to maintain a high degree of popularity across the political spectrum - echoes a recent warning by U.S. senator Ron Paul and warns of the prospect of "serious, serious unrest on our streets", there seems to be serious unrest across the whole of Europe.

Some of it is a war of words and rhetoric - some of it much more concerning.

While the BBC took the rare decision to put UKIP's Nigel Farage into the news headlines after his outspoken attack on Emperor von Rumpy-Pumpy - which also upset some people in Belgium - our state broadcaster made little of comments by a Labour MP.

After three Google executives were convicted of violating privacy laws in Italy - a ruling which they plan to appeal and which is being viewed as a serious threat to the internet - Tom Watson told the media: "This is the biggest threat to internet freedom we have seen in Europe. The only people who will support this decision are Silvio Berlusconi and the governments of China and Iran. It effectively breaks the internet in Italy."

While we agree with Watson on the possible prospect of a further assault on internet free-speech, if you analyse his words, Watson does equate Berlusconi with the governments of China and Iran...

Is that any more or less controversial than describing Emperor von Rumpy-Pumpy as looking like a clapped out bank clerk? Or poking the fun out of Belgium? You decide.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister of Greece - Theodore Pangalos - has trumped the entire lot. He has made mild comments about Italy and the management of their economy... before turning his attention to Germany and making accusations of Nazi looting.

"They took away the Greek gold that was at the Bank of Greece, they took away the Greek money and they never gave it back. This is an issue that has to be faced sometime. I don't think they have to give back the money necessarily but they have at least to say 'thanks'. And they shouldn't complain so much about stealing and not being very specific about economic dealings," he told the BBC.

Meanwhile, a German magazine used an image of the Venus de Milo to accuse Greece of being what the UK media is translating as "swindlers in the Eurozone".

Away from European wars of words, U.S. President Obama might come in for criticism from the UK after apparently refusing to back Britain as a row with Argentina over sovereignty of the Falklands bubbles away neatly under the surface.

This is a new row, in case you've been sleeping. You haven't entered a time machine and stepped back to the 1980's. This is still 2010.

Better not mention Iraq and Afghanistan at this juncture.

We're heading to hell in a handcart folks - call that a conspiracy theory, if you dare. Just connecting the dots...

Hope that depressing summary of world events hasn't put you off your cornflakes.

Meanwhile, back in Downing Street, the Labour lot continue to fight amongst themselves in private and deny everything in public. Sweet!

See also:
We're in crisis says Labour veteran
Greek rescue in danger as deputy prime minister attacks 'Nazi' Germany
Clashes in Greece strike against austerity plan
Thousands strike in Greece over austerity plans
Argentina asks UN to bring UK into talks on Falklands