austerity doesn’t work. uk nearly went into triple dip recession. spain 30% unemployment, youth umemployment is 50+%. greece has 60+% youth unemployment. and, they should never use that flawed study as a source.
Such astonishing arrogance! I did not expect it from you, sir.That is a term I particularly detest. Before the financial meltdown, on this forum I had actually mentioned that the term had been used before in 1999 and roundly criticised for its derogatory connotations (the 2nd “I” appeared for Ireland in its latest incarnation). It is now used quite liberally everywhere, even in good newspapers, and contstantly; designed to belittle, defame and dehumanise whole nations. When you start talking about a group of countries in a negative way, that can have an influence on keeping them down and influencing how they are always viewed. Are you surprised how they react in anger?
To call most Southern Europeans “whiners” when they are struggling through one of the worst continuous recessions of their lives is to not only belittle their plight but to actually show just how pampered Germans themselves have been despite your nation going through a sensible austerity programme in order to get your economy back into gear. Note on the word sensible. What is being imposed on these nations is not very sensible, it is darn-right idiotic. It is counter-productive, it is increasing animosity between nations and jeopardises the idea of solidarity and the whole ethos of this European Union. That is why they are demonising Merkel. I can understand you taking umbrage at their anger directed at Merkel and the Germans, but when you use derogatory terms yourself, my sympathies will lie elsewhere. The German economy ironically powered ahead on their consumption. If they had not consumed German goods and services as they had, perhaps your economy would not have found itself in a more favourable position when the rot set in. These nations’ citizens are as hard working as any other. Their governments may have set them down the wrong path, promised way more beyond than what their economies could deliver, but what they had managed in terms of benefits, social security or even pensions falls wayyy short than that enjoyed currently by their northern neighbours. Now what little advantages they had thought they had managed to gain in the years of apparent plenty has been lost. The average hours a Greek worker worked in a week was more than a German did. The German economy is way more efficient and therefore more productive but that does not make the Greeks lazier. That is an outrage. The average Greek, Irish, Portuguese, Spaniard or Italian was not pampered. The average Greek professional perhaps, the average Greek, Irish, Portuguese, Spaniard or Italian politician without a doubt, along with those who could and do evade taxes especially in Greece, but not the average Greek. That goes equally to the other nations whose citizens worked hard and thought they were attaining the same social security which their northern neighbours enjoyed.
You do not have over 25% unemployment, loss in earnings or loss in social security at the same level of those 5 nations.Glücklicherweise kenne Ich viele Deutsche und Österreicher die nicht deine Ansichten teilen.
So then why did your government drag southern Europe into the Euro? The sick thing about austerity is that the German, Belgian, French bankers get paid first. Had Spain chosen to keep their own currency, they could be digging out of this mess by now.
Instead, they’re at the mercy of northern European bankers who are enraged at how their profits are being eroded away.
I also object to the notion that because Germans culturally find austerity to be a virtue that other cultures should accept it even as they watch their neighbors being turned onto the streets.
As with the US real estate crisis, in which banks absconded with responsibility for the bad loans they made, northern Euro countries are shocked—SHOCKED!— that their attempt to turn Greeks and Portuguese into pillars of Teutonic virtue didn’t work out so well.
pirate227 almost 11 years ago
Amazing how cons want to follow Europe’s lead in this one thing but they usually scoff at anything that comes from “socialist” Europe.
vwdualnomand almost 11 years ago
austerity doesn’t work. uk nearly went into triple dip recession. spain 30% unemployment, youth umemployment is 50+%. greece has 60+% youth unemployment. and, they should never use that flawed study as a source.
OmqR-IV.0 almost 11 years ago
“The PIIGS-states are pampered whiners!”
Such astonishing arrogance! I did not expect it from you, sir.That is a term I particularly detest. Before the financial meltdown, on this forum I had actually mentioned that the term had been used before in 1999 and roundly criticised for its derogatory connotations (the 2nd “I” appeared for Ireland in its latest incarnation). It is now used quite liberally everywhere, even in good newspapers, and contstantly; designed to belittle, defame and dehumanise whole nations. When you start talking about a group of countries in a negative way, that can have an influence on keeping them down and influencing how they are always viewed. Are you surprised how they react in anger?
To call most Southern Europeans “whiners” when they are struggling through one of the worst continuous recessions of their lives is to not only belittle their plight but to actually show just how pampered Germans themselves have been despite your nation going through a sensible austerity programme in order to get your economy back into gear. Note on the word sensible. What is being imposed on these nations is not very sensible, it is darn-right idiotic. It is counter-productive, it is increasing animosity between nations and jeopardises the idea of solidarity and the whole ethos of this European Union. That is why they are demonising Merkel. I can understand you taking umbrage at their anger directed at Merkel and the Germans, but when you use derogatory terms yourself, my sympathies will lie elsewhere. The German economy ironically powered ahead on their consumption. If they had not consumed German goods and services as they had, perhaps your economy would not have found itself in a more favourable position when the rot set in. These nations’ citizens are as hard working as any other. Their governments may have set them down the wrong path, promised way more beyond than what their economies could deliver, but what they had managed in terms of benefits, social security or even pensions falls wayyy short than that enjoyed currently by their northern neighbours. Now what little advantages they had thought they had managed to gain in the years of apparent plenty has been lost. The average hours a Greek worker worked in a week was more than a German did. The German economy is way more efficient and therefore more productive but that does not make the Greeks lazier. That is an outrage. The average Greek, Irish, Portuguese, Spaniard or Italian was not pampered. The average Greek professional perhaps, the average Greek, Irish, Portuguese, Spaniard or Italian politician without a doubt, along with those who could and do evade taxes especially in Greece, but not the average Greek. That goes equally to the other nations whose citizens worked hard and thought they were attaining the same social security which their northern neighbours enjoyed.
Whiners indeed!
" We in Germany are as austere as it gets"
Poppycock! Absoluter Unsinn! Bollocks! Vollkommener Blödsinn!
You do not have over 25% unemployment, loss in earnings or loss in social security at the same level of those 5 nations.Glücklicherweise kenne Ich viele Deutsche und Österreicher die nicht deine Ansichten teilen.
Chillbilly almost 11 years ago
So then why did your government drag southern Europe into the Euro? The sick thing about austerity is that the German, Belgian, French bankers get paid first. Had Spain chosen to keep their own currency, they could be digging out of this mess by now.
Instead, they’re at the mercy of northern European bankers who are enraged at how their profits are being eroded away.
I also object to the notion that because Germans culturally find austerity to be a virtue that other cultures should accept it even as they watch their neighbors being turned onto the streets.
As with the US real estate crisis, in which banks absconded with responsibility for the bad loans they made, northern Euro countries are shocked—SHOCKED!— that their attempt to turn Greeks and Portuguese into pillars of Teutonic virtue didn’t work out so well.
OmqR-IV.0 almost 11 years ago
Ich höre nur Grillen.