tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post7778326627904028362..comments2024-01-16T08:40:53.682+00:00Comments on <a href="http://www.openeurope.org.uk">Open Europe</a>: Criticise it all you want, Germany is not going to drop austerityOEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00556463374230498875noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-54309407844201693992013-05-01T11:49:08.922+01:002013-05-01T11:49:08.922+01:00Germans aren't the ones employing 'guilt-p...Germans aren't the ones employing 'guilt-policy', they are employing a debt-policy.<br /><br />That is not to say that 'guilt-policy' isn't being used, it is used quite a lot in an attempt to guilt Germany into paying....<br /><br />Btw, what does 'a firm commitment to Europe' actually mean? Not going to war in Europe? Never questioning EU-institutions? Not insisting to have maps redrawn so that ones country is not part of Europe? Or is it just some meaningless political statement which people can interpret whatever way they want?Jespernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-78368071875755903482013-05-01T11:24:03.959+01:002013-05-01T11:24:03.959+01:00What the Germans want is good housekeeping; workin...What the Germans want is good housekeeping; working hard; paying your way. That is what others, who think that borrowing, spending, wasting, idling, is called austerity.<br />The Germans would be wrong to drop their style; they would be right to drop the EU.<br />If we had applied good housekeeping, we would not be in the state we are. I had a government officer writing to me to explain why having a deficit was a good thing. Stupid ignorant bastards.Rollohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18255460090580758354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-88457406686916710692013-04-30T15:38:40.055+01:002013-04-30T15:38:40.055+01:00If you look at the polls in Germany, when there ha...If you look at the polls in Germany, when there has been a strict line they are close to 70. When however Merkel gives away things it drops to around 50%.<br />For Cyprus the public like the Cyprus and Russian oligarch pay stand. Merkel the political animal she is will have noticed this. <br />In that respect austerity via ESM and non-CB measures will be more strict.<br /><br />Also the AfD will likely assure harder statements from Germany's politicians. It is now between 3-7%<br />whoever you believe. But as shown elsewhere it is a protestparty. So any defence by Schauble and Steinbruck and alike is free PR for AfD. There are 20-30% of people that have lost all confidence in traditional politics in Germany (my calculated guess). Any statement by the posterboys of these politics is per definition uncredible, untrustworthy for the voterpotential of these protestparties. And therefor free advertising.<br /><br />A huge mistake half of the Tories are making in the UK. You donot get customers back that moved because they are disappointed in your product, by (indirectly) stating they are biassed, closet racist and in a general sense idiots. And if you have insulted people it is hard to correct. <br /><br />Anyway AfD needs one more push over the 5% hurdle (and have it look like a stable situation) and it starts to play as it would become a real alternative for the rest.<br />Works fine, Merkel herself is the only one that understands that she better keeps her mouth shut. The rest is going in with a stretched leg, mainly confirming they are not credible and AfD is a realistic alternative.<br />As said earlier you need simply media attention, the traditioinal parties will do the rest. Their defence for their own voters works ast the same time as a huge add towards the voters for the AfD.<br />But that works better with a charismatic figure, you simply get more media attention and for a longer period. But at the moment it looks to be working without one.<br />And stay away from scandals. No former Nazi or racists with tattoos on the lists.<br /><br />Anyway when AfD is on the map, the rest will have to react. With as an added problem that it is probably harder hitting the rest than the CDU as things are now. Which simply means more austerity. Riknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-41944073307184326222013-04-30T14:06:48.210+01:002013-04-30T14:06:48.210+01:00It is interesting how austerity is not to be used ...It is interesting how austerity is not to be used as it sounds evil, but Schuldenpolitik is used domestically just for that same reason - because it sounds evil so that nobody can deviate from the opposite of evil Schuldenpolitik. By making its opposite evil-sounding conservatives and liberals in German government have secured that their policy (which they call Sparpolitik) sounds good, sacred even.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-16446146310699659762013-04-30T12:43:01.064+01:002013-04-30T12:43:01.064+01:00If anything, Germany is being consistent. And the ...If anything, Germany is being consistent. And the Germans will follow that path until a major problem happens(and it will happen sooner or later).<br /><br />That doesn't mean they are right(in the current situation, they are definitely not). Nor that they know what to do to make a U-turn, something I fear they don't even consider. Which is shame really, Europe needs bold moves not middle-of-the-road-we-will-where-it-goes.<br /><br />JL<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com