[lbo-talk] When Empire loses it

James Heartfield Heartfield at blueyonder.co.uk
Thu Jul 1 23:27:48 PDT 2010


Doug: 'what are the forces in Germany pushing austerity? Isn't anyone worried about the hit to German export markets?'

I am sure they are, but they are more worried about the European Union's responsibility for its member-states' debts.

The old Bundesbank policy of tight money (which, if truth be known, was readily abandoned whenever it suited the politicians, as it was during reunification and again in the early 00's) is something of a pious dogma to Germans, who imagine that they are the only ones in Europe who know how to keep to a budget.

When Greece went tits-up various German commentators said that they had plenty of assets to sell off - like those Greek Islands. Cue much outrage along the lines of 'not enough that you invaded them in 1942' and 'now the Germans will always be first on the beech with their towels'. But since then I see that the Greek govt. itself has mooted selling off the odd Island.



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