I find the Peer Steinbr?ck episode extremely worrying. The SPD candidate for the German Chancellorship thinks nothing of being blatantly rude to Italian electors telling them they voted for clowns. This is unacceptable behaviour and the Italian President Napolitano was quite right to cancel his meeting with this person (I can hardly call him a gentleman) and demand respect from Germany.
But that is just it. Germany, or rather German politicians have grown too big for their boots. They do not feel obliged to respect anyone. They are the big guys on the block, the bullies and everybody else should just shut up and do as they are told.
Unfortunately for Europe and indeed Germany too, the rest of Europe has chosen to grovel at the boots of the big bully and in fact do as she says. The current Greek PM, Samaras actually went so far as to say before the German Chancellor “Mea Culpa” of his former anti austerity stand, behaving as the worst groveler of all!.
So, we must not just blame Germany for this appalling situation. It is the rest of the Europeans and perhaps above all the European Commission and Council (and their respective if not respectable heads) who are to blame. When all they can do is nod vigorously at whatever noises come out of German mouths, when they can be brushed aside as inconsequential, as the Chancellor has repeatedly done, and just accept this with an obsequious smile,then whose fault is it?
Thankfully the Italian people have cocked a snoot at this arrogance on the one hand and kicked the bully in the butt. It is a shame that the SPD candidate has assumed he has the right to call the Italian electorate names. But then it is also a shame that nobody, other than the Italian electorate, appears to have any guts left before the big bad bullies.