Our good friend and saviour, Wolfgang Schauble, currently German Minister of Finances, and the next Head of the Euro Group, as The Frau has decided unilaterally, struck out again! On the eve of the general election here in Greece, he openly threatened the Greek electorate that if they didn’t vote in the parties who have unconditionally surrendered to the appalling (and destructive) terms of the German dictated policy, we would bear the consequences!
Now I have wondered before, why on earth are they so desperate for us to vote in the political parties that Germany blames for not having implemented their policy correctly and who are, therefore, responsible for the implosion of the Greek economy? So exonerating, they believe, Germany’s responsibility for this great achievement. But such open threats on the eve of a general election?
He also added, in something that sounded like petulant pique, words to the effect that Greece could pull out of the EU altogether for all he cared. But it isn’t quite like that Herr Schauble, is it? You do care, otherwise why are you getting your knickers in such a twist over a tiny, second rate, insignificant backwater of a country like Greece, eh?
But it all comes down to “practice what you preach”. That is Flexibility!!! We are constantly being told (Mario Draghi the latest culprit) that the labour market must be made flexible! Meaning of course, that all and any workers rights should be abolished forthwith.
But, gentlemen and ladies of the Eurodirectorate, the criminally stringent austerity policies you are imposing dictatorially all over Europe to save the banks just isn’t working! As I have said before, if you keep this up and reduce the EU economy to a heap of rubble, so that the banks wont have to pay for the mess they made, then how are the banks going to survive without an economy to feed off? The banking sector is parasitical. It cannot survive without a large healthy beast to feed off you know. Or don’t you?
So flexibility. How about applying some of your own medicine to yourselves? European policy makers must become far more flexible not only in their policies but also in their approach. At the moment Germany is displaying such rigidity in both, that all that can happen is that there will be a big resounding snap. And punching the little weakling in the school yard (that is Greece on the eve of elections) will not help one iota! (That’s Greek too).
Rigidity may be good for goose stepping formations and the like, but when it comes to politics and economics, it never works.
Meanwhile, tomorrow France and Greece will vote in new governments. Whether they, in Greece that is, succumb to the threats or decide that when you are so far down there’s nothing left to lose, remains to be seen.
This is above all a battle for Democracy and the final count down has begun.
