Crises and the limits of the possible

This short essay considers the long-term legacies of turbulent times for the exercise of political agency. It distinguishes two widespread views, centred on the enabling and disabling effects of crisis, and traces the logic and limits of each. The essay goes on to assess some features of contemporary European and EU politics in light of these observations, highlighting some of the ways that Covid-19 has been used as a pretext to consolidate rather than transform the existing order.