My younger son said something to me the other day that took me completely by surprise and haunts me still. We were sitting in a café at St Pancras Station, where we occasionally meet when I'm in London, talking about the financial crisis and the unrest that seems to be building across Europe - the background to the weekend G8 summit. He suddenly looked up and said very earnestly, "Have you ever felt frightened for the future?" I was startled. I've never felt frightened for the future, but clearly he did. This was not the result of our different generational circumstances. My generation has enjoyed a welfare state, steady employment and may be debt-free before the end of the working life. His generation starts with student debts, quickly adds a mortgage and the cost of child care, and faces insecure employment prospects. No, his worries were wider. He spoke about pre-war Europe when recession and austerity led to civil unrest and the rise of the dictators. Was history going to repeat itself?