Posted on 12/28/2013 10:54:26 AM PST by Kaslin
The irony and hypocrisy in chancellor Angela Merkel's first parliamentary speech of her third term would be astounding were it not par for the "Everything for Germany" course of action.
Please consider Chancellor Urges Reforms to Preserve Euro
In her first parliamentary speech since her re-election for a third term on Tuesday, she warned that Europe needed to take further action to make the euro zone crisis-proof.
More European Control
"I know that pushing through treaty changes in the member states can be difficult, but if you want more Europe, you have to be prepared to develop it further," Merkel said. "In a world that is constantly changing, we can't stand there and say that at some point we agreed the Lisbon Treaty and there's no need to change it again. This won't work."
Germany wants closer economic policy coordination and will push at a summit of European Union leaders on Thursday and Friday for members to agree binding contracts with the European Commission to implement further reforms.
It is also pushing for changes to the Lisbon Treaty to give greater European control over policy. Germany's closest ally in Europe, France, opposes such a move, as do other member states.
"European unity remains one of the most important tasks of the grand coalition," said Merkel. "Germany is only strong if Europe is strong."
Criticism of EU Green Energy Probe
She said she would fight an EU probe announced on Wednesday into exemptions from a green energy surcharge for some 2,000 German companies. The European Commission is examining whether the exemptions, totalling some €5 billion and granted to heavy energy users like the steel industry, were unfair and should be repaid.
The German government would not tolerate a weakening of German industry or job losses, she said. "Germany wants to remain a strong industrial location, we need competitive companies," she said. "This is about companies and when it's about companies, it's about jobs."
She said Germany's new Economy and Energy Minister, Social Democrat Sigmar Gabriel, would make this very clear to the European Commission.
Merkel the Hypocrite
Allegedly Merkel wants more EU controls. She is even at odds with France over controls. But let the EU propose energy controls and all of a sudden she does not want them.
Recall that Germany backtracked on the banking union. Heck, Germany fought bitterly to have some of its banks specifically excluded from banking union provisions, and won.
Now Germany wants more integration. Except of course when it doesn't, like a true banking union deal a week ago, and energy controls today.
I am certainly not defending EU energy policy. But I am critical of the inherent hypocrisy in Merkel's plea for more EU controls when she does not want more EU control, but rather more German control.
Since this is par for the course, (and it will remain that way), let's put an appropriate label on it.
Do You Prefer
Is it number 1 or number 2?
The question is moot actually, except for the short-term. Long-term, the European Monetary Union is doomed.
I made the case for a disorderly breakup in Laughable Eurozone Banking "Non-Union".
Merkel's first parliamentary speech of her third term adds credence to the disorderly breakup thesis.
Adolph would be SO proud!
If you are in control, why share? They only people demanding that everything be shared are the lazy or incompetent. It’s always life’s losers that support Socialism.
Adolph wasn't German
it is obvious (not least to Europeans) that any integration of the many European nations will almost necessarily involve a further strengthening of German power on the continent.
Germany being in the center of things, with a large and traditionally productive population, and highly industrialized. Berlin is an, and will become an even more, important city if Europe continues to merge.
What scares me a lot more is the number of Nazi-style pronouncements from EU headquarters in Brussels. It will not only be the smaller nations that discover they’ve been devoured by a monster....many good Germans will also be surprised ...
"Greater Germany," though, is a designation that's been free for around 70 years, so maybe go with that?
How about DÜA - Deutschland Über Alles?
Not USG - HRR.
Nein!
"Gott erhalte, Franz den Kaiser, unser guten Kaiser Franz!"
I never, never understood the Holy Roman Empire in school.
Just use "Holy Roman Empire = Germany", and it will all start to make sense.
More like 68 years. It’s much less for the former East Germany though
Do you know that the words to DUA, set to the Haydn tune "Austria", were meant to encourage all the margraves, herzogs, koenigs, and other rulers of the hundreds of German states to surrender their privileges and their sovereignty in order to allow a Germany to be created that would be like England and France, a state for a people?
In 1986, I had a dream. I saw a unified Europe, with a strong arm, a political arm, and an economic arm. That was Germany, Rome, and Brussels, repsectively.
This is 2013. How far off was I?
When I was in my sophomore year in high school, 1968, choosing classes for my junior year, I came on an idea. I have been in what was called ‘the business program’, since my junior high school years, as opposed to ‘the college plan’. I chose to continue my business plan, with accounting and economics among the courses, and I had to choose a foreign language, as per State education requirements. (All this prior to Jimmy Carter’s disastrous DOED). I chose the Russian language. My counselor looked at me, and asked, why. I told him that I knew, didn’t know how but I knew, that we (USA) would be doing business with Moscow someday, and I wanted to be a part of that. 1968, mind you!!!
So, if a kid from nowhere, USA, could have two dreams like this, and one of them came true, and now the second one, amidst groaning pains, looks like it is happening, whatcha think?
Yes, but it's kleinedeutschland.
Großdeutschland will entail a second anschluss, and perhaps a bit more.
Is Königsberg for sale?
Oh1 I forgot, we must end this in repsectful tones .... (MIMIMIMI!!!)
Deutcschland, Deutschland, Uber alles, Uber alles, alles wold!
Ouch!
My second favorite poke in the eye is:
The “zi” in Nazi comes from “Sozialist.”
The truth is that Germany is industrious and produces wealth. When living there I noticed lots of things, and one was that the people went to work in the morning and returned in the evening. I also noticed that it was real common for the wives to stay at home raising kids. I noticed the kids went to school in the morning and came home in the early afternoon.
Germany is productive. England still is. France still wants to be. I’d suggest they are still the powers in Europe.
The 13 Most Efficient Countries In The World: #10 Germany
International rankings of Germany by Survey:
Global Peace Index, 2013: #15 out of 162
United Nations Development Programme Human Development index 2013: #5 out of 187
Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2012: #13 out of 174
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2014: #4 out of 148
Freedomhouse Organization Freedom of the Press Evaluation, 2010: #19 out of 192
CIA fact book:
The German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force.
Foreign Investment in the USA, Ranking:
#1 UK $487 billion
#8 Germany $200 billion
Other headlines:
How Germany Builds Twice As Many Cars As The U.S. While Paying Its Workers Twice As Much?
Self Reflections (The Sins of our fathers):
Lynching, the practice of killing people by extrajudicial mob action, occurred in the United States chiefly through the 1960s. This type of murder is most often associated with hanging, although it often included burning and various other methods of torture. Only rarely were lynchers punished, or even arrested, for their crimes.
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