▁deal ▁of ▁contemporary ▁criticism ▁for ▁lying ; ▁fellow ▁diplom ats ▁C anning ▁and ▁Tal ley rand ▁both ▁commented ▁on ▁it , ▁whilst ▁the ▁poet ▁Franz ▁Gr ill par zer ▁suggested ▁that ▁Met tern ich ▁came ▁to ▁believe ▁his ▁own ▁lies . ▁Even ▁so , ▁as ▁critical ▁historian ▁Alan ▁Sk ed ▁arg ues , ▁Met tern ich ' s ▁" sm okes creen " ▁served ▁a ▁purpose ▁in ▁further ing ▁a ▁relative ▁coh er ent ▁set ▁of ▁principles , ▁though ▁it ▁came ▁at ▁the ▁exp ense ▁of ▁being ▁in ▁control ▁of ▁individual ▁events . ▁However , ▁Sk ed ▁is ▁quick ▁to ▁also ▁point ▁out ▁that ▁Met tern ich ' s ▁apparent ▁liberal ism , ▁as ▁put ▁forward ▁by ▁Vi ere ck ▁and ▁Ha as , ▁did ▁not ▁amount ▁to ▁wanting ▁decent ral isation , ▁and ▁as ▁such ▁the ▁old ▁concerns ▁that ▁Met tern ich ▁pushed ▁for ▁a ▁( now ▁out mod ed ) ▁heavily ▁central ised ▁aut ocr atic ▁system ▁cannot ▁be ▁dismiss ed . ▁Sk ed ▁does , ▁however , ▁warn ▁against ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁h inds ight , ▁arg uing ▁that ▁Met tern ich ' s ▁actions ▁were , ▁at ▁the ▁time , ▁entirely ▁in ▁keeping ▁with ▁Aust rian ▁politics , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁events ▁of ▁ 1 8 4 8 ▁were ▁a ▁mere ▁b lip ▁when ▁Austria ▁lost ▁its ▁n erve . ▁ ▁Julius ▁E vol a , ▁described ▁as ▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁influ ential ▁fasc ist ▁rac ists ▁in ▁Italian ▁history ", ▁author ▁of ▁Revol t ▁Again st