Using C++ and ctypes together: a vast conspiracy? ;)

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

In message <ad634d5d-
c0e4-479a-85ed-91c26d3bf717 at c36g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, Kay Schluehr 
wrote:

> On 3 Jun., 05:51, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <l... at geek-
> central.gen.new_zealand> wrote:
>
>> In message <h04bjd$n9... at hoshi.visyn.net>, Sebastian Wiesner wrote:
>>
>> > <Nick Craig-Wood – Mittwoch, 3. Juni 2009 00:29>
>>
>> >> That said I've used C++ with ctypes loads of times, but I always wrap
>> >> the exported stuff in extern "C" { } blocks.
>>
>> > No wonder, you have never actually used C++ with C types.  An extern
>> > "C" clause tells the compiler to generate C functions (more precisely,
>> > functions that conform to the C ABI conventions), so effectively you're
>> > calling into C, not into C++.
>>
>> Seems like the only sane way to do it. In all other directions lies
>> madness.
> 
> Yes but creating C stubs is also hard in presence of everything that
> is not basic C++. How would you wrap the STL?

What does the STL offer that Python doesn't already do more flexibly and 
more simply?