One would like to hope so. Then again one would rather hope that ‘battle lines’ will not be needed and that Europe will come to its senses, prompted, hopefully, by the meager signs of democracy at work that have managed to slip through the cracks.

In France Sarkozy, the pejorative second bit of Merkozy and all the horror that that entails, was not reelected President of the French Republic. No doubt his utter servility and love of playing bully’s side kick in the school yard did not help his reelection.

In Greece the electorate exploded. As it was obvious that it would. How else would you expect an electorate to react after it has voted for a socialist government only to be treated to the worse kind of Chicago School ‘shock doctrine’ economics ever? Fifth year of recession accounting for an overall depletion of the economy of over 20%, soaring unemployment officially at 21% but real unemployment well over that. Decimation of what is left of the welfare state, enforced ‘flexibility’ of the labour market which has led to shark like behavior and so on.

Did Herr Wolfgang Schauble really believe that his threat of “elect the guys ruining your economy at our behest or else?” would really have any effect on a desperate, impoverished electorate? Back to Monty Python’s Life of Brian, “just how much worse?” (see 14th March entry http://parina.gr/blog/?paged=5)

But the point is not Greece or France but the whole of the European Union and the European idea. When democracy was allowed to speak it spoke in a very different voice from that of The Frau and her brainwaves for solving the European crisis. And for all the success of extremists from France’s Front National polling around 20% and the Greek neo Nazi party entering Parliament for the very first time, the electorates tried to convey sound economic sense. Something that is sorely lacking in the German Christian Democrat camp.

In his article, “Ex President Bling-Bling” Paul Krugman tells us: “The basic fact about Europe right now is that the strategy of adjustment through austerity and internal devaluation isn’t working, won’t work and is rapidly turning into a social and political disaster.” (my emphasis). Joseph Stiglitz has told us that Europe (under the iron fist of The Frau) is headed straight for suicide. But when the electorates endorse these conclusions, the Eurodirectorate petulantly refuses to budge.

That is, up until now. Perhaps the two elections will force a change of policy on the intransigent German inspired dictates of the IMF/troika. Francois Hollande appears to be a moderate person who wants to negotiate change. The Frau shrieks No! I will NOT renegotiate. But she has been reminded that Germany cannot decide unilaterally what Europe’s fate will be. (At least not under EU terms).

The Greeks are not turning red or going fascist out of some kind of perversion. The are crying out in desperation that this policy, so callously and, I have to say, with amateur shoddiness, imposed on them simply is not working!

The initial answer has been threats. Sarkozy threatened the French that if Hollande were to be elected France would turn into the next Greece. (He refrained from telling the electorate, however, that Greece has been reduced to a pulp because of his blind kow towing to The Frau, which was rather deceitful of him.) Schauble has threatened Greece that if we did not elect the right government, there would be dire consequences. The implication? That all funding will be cut off. Greece will default in the most disorderly way imaginable, the people will go hungry and start dying in droves, and in fact end up in even worse shape than when Hitler left them.

Okay. But does that really sound like the best way of solving Europe’s crisis? And does Herr Schauble really think that when he decides to consign Greece to such a hell on earth, the vacuum won’t be filled by others? Such as  a new Islam/ Ottoman drive (that reached Vienna last time around) for instance, or perhaps the Great Bear of Russia pushing up against the exposed vulnerable underbelly of Europe? Or at the very best an American protectorate slam in the middle of Europe’s eastern doorway? Well? These things, and worse, do happen you know when matters swing violently out of hand.

So perhaps the intransigent, intolerant Germans should remember that they are part of a Democratic Union with certain timeless Values, and not the Fourth Reich on the rise. Perhaps they should be the first to shy away from a concept of battle lines and sterile aggressive confrontation within Europe. God knows they have as much to lose as anyone if they don’t.

Germany is not The Frau. Germany has a strong SPD, Greens, even Pirates on the rise. So let us indeed hope that some sense will finally prevail and that it will not be battle lines but collective responsibility and some modicum of solidarity. Particularly with the states your own misguided and mismanaged policies led to ruin.