Can Europe build its own Darpa?

"High risk - high payoff" has been the suggested terminology, they like to forget the "possibly high loss" bit. A tradition of British government is not to set up anything with political independence - it requires "trust" - a word the last few decades (particularly the last decade) of government can't bear. What if someone the government of the day doesn't like gets in control - even if they can do a good job they won't be allowed.

Can you imagine politicians giving up control of spending? Or the treasury not requiring 'due diligence' on every penny? Or say 'here's few billion quid, do something interesting with it' but not demand oversight and justification as they believe all the world except them will fiddle the books? Not that 250 quid a day expense allowance without receipt isn't fiddled right and left, when the rest of us are required to account for anything more than 50p! I'd like to see it but I am as likely to see the flight of pigs currently stacked over Watford being given landing instructions to Heathrow...