The Frau’s policy… well, policy? Obsession rather. Solution perhaps. Idee Fixe (to use the French term), of turning Europe into the colonies of a German Empire to be governed under the German Jackboot of permanent austerity and misery, particularly for the lesser, undeserving races of the south, has it’s side effects.
Side effects that have adverse effects on The Frau’s Grand Design or Struggle (I can’t use the German word for that one!). One of which may be that she is achieving precisely what she wants to avoid. A Europe of the Peoples. Horror! Horror! Absolute anathema! And yet, lets take a look at what is going on.
Elections are to be held in France and Greece on the same day. The Dutch government has come a cropper and there are to be elections there too. The Irish have their own referendum at the end of May. And everybody is interested in the outcome of each and every one of these. Whenever before in the history of the EU and Common Market has public opinion ever given a damn about the outcome of elections in another country?
And whenever before has a French Presidential candidate directly addressed the problems of one of the smaller and most insignificant countries of the union? Yet Francois Hollande did just that, pledging to change the terms of the “memorandum” or death trap Greece has signed, by, at least, placing the emphasis on growth rather than destruction. He said Greece could not be condemned to a state of permanent austerity, and of course this goes for the whole of Europe too.
Within the EU, loyalty to country seemed to come first and foremost, party loyalty always stumbling against this. Yet now we see a consensus and perhaps even a front of parties advocating a completely different policy, one concentrating on growth and jobs rather than stark austerity, forming across state lines. (See John Palmer’s article in the Guardian today.)
During the dictatorship in Greece there was a joke. The joke was that Papadopoulos, the dictator, had succeeded where all other governors of Greece had failed miserably. That is he had managed to unite the people. Against him.
The Frau and her policy seems to be achieving the same. Uniting the peoples of Europe across state lines. Against her iron fisted destructive policies. But being drunk with power and determined to remain in the saddle she lusts after, it appears she would be prepared to do a deal with the devil to stay there. She has already put out feelers to Hollande and is said to be hoping for another SPD/CDU coalition government, if all else fails for her.
To do that of course she will have to change, or modify her policies. If she does we should not go black in the face with anger, but rejoice. Rejoice because she will have had to bend her brittle stance, to the will of the People. The People of Europe. So when we all go to the polls we should remain acutely aware of this.
The People of Europe appear to be uniting.