Others are convinced that the changes were vital if a wider cross section of people, particularly women, were to be encouraged to become MPs.

BBC: A wakeup bell or the death knell?

Mark Tinker, an analyst with Commerzbank in London, reckons that around half of Germany's equity market is currently tied up in cross-holdings that might be disposed of once the law changes.

ECONOMIST: Now for the big push? | The

However, that is not so of the long-term threat to cross-border capital flows: the changes that regulators make to the landscape for multinational banks, especially in Europe.

ECONOMIST: Globalisation under strain: Homeward bound | The