So Angela Merkel isn't standing for it! The Greek Primeminister is being ORDERED to attend a crisis meeting to account for his democratic actions. Democracy in Europe? That's not to the liking of the Germans apparently!
All those who argued for Britain to join the Euro - including Blair, the entire Liberal Democratic Party and Ken Clarke - should take very careful note. How long before an army is ordered in to close down the Greek parliament to ensure that German wishes are observed?
Mind you, if the saying, "No taxation without representation" applies, perhaps that can be turned back on the Greeks who may have no right to representation given they don't pay their taxes!
This is one great unholy mess that will end in the collapse of the Euro. Then what happens? God only knows!
War looms by friend..... it's what they do in times of great depression, thins down the world populations (we just hit 7 billion) and of course building all that war machinery stuff is great of the economy - just hope I don't have to share a trench with you as I wouldn't fancy my chances of survival, next to someone who quite frankly doesn't have any balls.
ReplyDeleteThat's very sexist. There are women soldiers out in Afghanistan who you have just insulted. I believe you should apologise. Have you done a tour of duty yourself?
ReplyDeleteBeware of Germans bearing gifts! Did you read the article I sent you HF?
ReplyDeleteSent to the email? I'll check it out. Careful with the warning about Germans though mate, some might see that as racist! ; }
ReplyDeleteOh there were plenty of girls with balls when I served. Reckon 18:46 is correct, you wouldn't match any of them in the guts department.
ReplyDeleteHmm...let's say there was a huge storm and your neighbour's house got damaged pretty bad. He's in your football team so you two are kinda bonded. The thing is, he has a family but no money at all to fix the house. So he doesn't know what he should do and comes over to you and askes for help. After a long discussion you agree and give him the money to start with the repair despite you have huge debts, too. Instead of calling the craftsman he asks his family what they wanna do with your money...doesn't sound right, does it ?
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Let's say he didn't want to buy the house in the first place but you persuaded him so do so despite knowing that there were structural faults, but you didn't want an empty house next to yours. Let's then add the fact that when he saw the problems and wanted to sell it off, you then persuaded him to hold on by loaning him more and more money, telling him not to worry about paying it back any time soon as you were friends. Then you suddenly say, pay up, sell your house, sell your wife, sell your kids - or else. Better analogy!
ReplyDeleteSo HF in the war what did your family do, and how many white feathers did they collect between them?
ReplyDeleteha, that is definitely a better analogy!
ReplyDeleteAre we talking the Second World War? If so, my mother was evacuated down to the West Country with her younger sister, my father was in his cousin's house when it took a direct hit and his cousin was decapitated - literally. My Dad, like my mother, was still a child - 13 at the time I think. My grandfather on my mother's side was a merchant seaman and was in the Atlantic convoys, and if you know anything about history, you will know how dangerous that was. My grandfather on my father's side was over 50 years old when the war started (he married late and was dead by the time I was born). He stayed in the East End throughout the war and worked as an APR warden through the Blitz on top of his job as a Master Printer. He was actually awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his service which has passed to me on a hereditary basis.
ReplyDeleteNone of that is to my credit of course. What a strange person you are 0843.
17:00 they all sound like sterling, forthright people - shame that can't be said of you.
ReplyDeleteBut you don't know me do you?
ReplyDeleteOh trust me I know enough, you're not worth spit compared to them.
ReplyDeletebet they never complained when the doodle bugs were raining down......
ReplyDeleteAre we any more democratic than the Germans? It appears to me that Cameron is very democratic where other countries are concerned but enters into a dictatorship whith the uk. Look at the lengths he went to, to prevent a bill just to discuss having a referendum on the eu.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I remember the euro was formed to make it easier for eu countries to trade with each other, however, we managed to do that quite successfully before the euro came into force.
The whole business with Greece is like putting off a necessary amputation its got to happen in the end why prolong the agony let them go.
Perhaps you Hf or Sav could tell me this: If the eu is struggling to raise funds to save Greece for a couple of years, how are they going to afford to save Italy and Spain? and more imprtantly why is the eu population allowing these power mad idiots to blow our money and that of our future gerations on a political idealism that will never work?
Mhhh...house = economy. I don't think they persuaded Greece to buy their economy.
ReplyDeleteWhen Greece joined the euro-zone their economy was quite stable, so it was in Germany.
To be clear, I don't like the Euro at all,it was/is a short sighted idea and in the end there is only one idiot who suffers from this mess - the taxpayer.
Nevertheless it all didn't start because of the Greece's inability, it kicked of because of the american banking crisis. It damaged several banks all over the world, as we West Ham supporters know just too well.
The government gave the banks huge credit payings to recover from the situation. So now the banks reputaion startet to increase again but on the other hand the
capital markets' trust in the national finances sank. Corruption and concealment lead to the current situation since it was difficult to predict the real damage. In addition to these faults which were clearly committed by the Greek government there are further reasons for their negative ecomomy, like the bad import-export proportion, the high numbers of tax dodging or the high jobless figures .
There would be plenty to say about this topic but since it's a West Ham blog I'll stop right here.
The Euro zone is an idea which was never going to work. You can't have centralised monetary policy without also having control of fiscal policy or a common budget for all countries in the Euro zone. Monetary Union can only be effective if countries in Europe were willing to give up their sovereignty and behave as if Europe is really one country. Unlike the USA where they are all proud Americans, the Europeans are not quite there yet and I wonder if they will ever be. The only wise thing Brown has ever done is to keep Britain out of the Euro zone.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things wrong with Greece but if they had their own currency they wouldn't be in such dire straights. I can't answer your questions Johnjn. These are good questions to which there are simply no easy answers.