taking one of this pastel blazers on board a carriage travelling from Barmouth to Llangollen. Trains on this route left Barmouth hugging the very edge of the stunning Mawddach estuary, before heading from Dolgellau through the southern fringes of Snowdonia, passing Llyn Tegid in Bala, before passing underneath the Berwyn Mountains through Corwen and arriving finally into Llangollen.

The post-Beeching alternative, while no less scenic, shuns the direct route of the line closed by Beeching in favour of the "three sides of a square approach" taking in a jaunt along the coast of Cardigan Bay, an eastward traverse of the country through Machynlleth, Newtown and Welshpool to Shrewsbury, before heading north to Ruabon. You'll have to make your own way to Llangollen from there, since the eisteddfod town's stationInternational Viewpoint is published under the responsibility of the Bureau of the Fourth International. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect editorial policy. Articles can be reprinted with acknowledgement, and a live link if possible.

Eight key proposals for another Europe

The crisis has shaken the European Union to its very foundations. Public debt is suffocating several countries that have been badly hit by the financial markets. With the governments currently in office, and the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB), and IMF all aiding and abetting, the financial institutions responsible for the crisis are making lots of money while speculating on government debt. Meanwhile, business owners are taking advantage of the situation to launch an offensive against the social and economic rights of the majority.

The reduction of public deficits