Posts Tagged ‘Germany’

The end of a civilised Europe? Germany enforces a new gold standard

by Michael Meacher.

Arguably the so-called deal that has been forced down the throats of the Greek people represents the worst of all worlds. It imposes even more draconian terms than were on offer even a week or two ago, with very little conceded in terms of debt relief, but with such added conditions of austerity as will […]

What’s driving Germany’s hardline stance on Greece?

by Tom Gill.

By Juan Torres López* and translated from the original Spanish by Tom Gill The media and the centres of economic and political power in Europe try to make us believe that the difficulties in reaching agreement with Greece come from the demands and bad practices in this country and that it is the position of […]

Democracy versus capitalism – how Greece should survive

by Michael Meacher.

It is difficult for us to comprehend what the Greek people have been subjected to. After the 2008 crash UK unemployment rose to 8%; in Greece it is still 26% with youth unemployment at over 50%. UK GDP fell by 9%; Greek GDP collapsed by 25%. What is remarkable is not the momentous Syriza victory […]

The German Chancellor and Grexit

by Tom Gill.

This article by Jacques Sapir originally published on his own blog is translated from the French by Tom Gill A Greek exit from the Euro, following the election on 25 January, is no longer unthinkable, Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted in the German weekly Der Spiegel on Saturday. This is an important statement, which can be analyzed in […]

Is the EU Commission on the side of Farage?

by Michael Meacher.

It is difficult to believe that some senior members of the EU Commission are not secret Ukippers. To demand that Britain hands over more than €2bn because its economy is doing relatively well compared with the rest of the Eurozone, which is doing appallingly badly, is beyond satire. The idea that Germany, where the Merkel […]

Germans to get ‘amputated’ minimum wage

by Tom Gill.

The German parliament this week approved the country’s first minimum wage but unions and critics on the Left are not much impressed. The wage – backed by a vote in the Bundestag on Thursday – will be set at €8.50 (£6.80) per hour, which is higher than the equivalent in the US and UK. Angela Merkel’s […]

So where now for Europe?

by Michael Meacher.

The irony for the EU, which even its leaders now recognise must change course radically, is that it can’t. At least it can’t in its present structure without such dislocating changes as to be scarcely credible. The central problem has been, and remains, the single currency. As long as countries, particularly on the southern periphery, […]

Why do we pick on the Greeks rather than the Germans?

by Michael Meacher.

There is a story popular in Germany, and often repeated in the UK, that the Greeks are being punished for their grievous financial misdeeds and the virtuous Germans are teaching them a lesson which, painful as it may be, needs to be learnt. Whilst it is true that Greece (and Greece was far from alone […]

Germany: Why the Left numerical majority isn’t a political majority

by Tom Gill.

Il Manifesto newspaper interviews Sahra Wagenknecht, deputy leader of Die Linke, on why Merkel did so well in the elections, the failure of the SPD and the prospects of unity on the Left. For Sahra Wagenknecht, deputy leader of Die Linke (‘The Left’), there is no doubt: the weakness of the Social Democratic challenger was […]

The German elections will not change a thing in the Eurozone

by Tom Gill.

Interview with Italian economist Emiliano Brancaccio by Peter Vernizzi translated by Tom Gill As far as austerity is concerned, even after the September elections Germany will not turn the page. The Germans have benefited from the crisis, and even if the Bundesbank itself has reservations about the general direction of European economic policy, Berlin has no interest in […]

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