Angela Merkel

BIG BAD JOHN

When I heard that Angela Merkel had once again opened her mouth this morning with her tuppence worth on the Greek Election (which consisted really of yet another way of saying "we have ways of making you pay") my reaction was why doesn't she keep her trap shut for everytime words spring to her lips, she just makes things worse.
You have to think that if Herr Kohl were still at the controls in Germany we would not have arrived at our collective sorry state.
SIngle-handedly (now that the tiny but perfectly formed Monsieur Sarkozy has been given his cards by the French electorate) she continues to push what might have been merely a calamity towards a continental catastrophe.

luckyfrank

who what when

I've said it before and i'l say it again. There's something in those German jenes that make them hell bent on world domination. They found out the hard way that they couldnt do it through war so now they're trying economics instead!

Praetorian Saighdiuir

I would get great pleasure in smacking Merkel with a sweaty sock right across that crazy face of hers.

Stoopid Frauline.

DarkJager

What I'd like to know is who told Germany they run the Eurozone, or made that nauseating kunt the fuhrer of it?

christmas2012

either way were going to have to pay ze germans back for what were borrowing off them

Sunnyisland

There even taking over the football, what next ? world domination. omg

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056674124

AnamGlas

1/10, would not bang

Ellis Dee

DarkJager wrote: »

What I'd like to know is who told Germany they run the Eurozone,

I don't believe anyone told them that, but they are by far the biggest economy in it and that economy is in pretty good shape at the moment. That inevitably gives them some degree of prestige and influence. After all, Realpolitik (look it up!) is originally a German word.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

DarkJager wrote: »

or made that nauseating kunt the fuhrer of it?

No one made her the Führer (the German word for "leader") of the Eurozone, but her party did come out as the biggest in parliamentary elections, which gave her the right to become Chancellor of Germany. She wouldn't have been my first choice, but that's democracy for you. As for the four-letter word you misspell, it's Fotze in German. Add it to your existing vocabulary of vulgarities.:pac::pac:

Chinasea

Oh it is so tiresome to hear the same auld cheap jokes rolled against the Germans time and time again.

Perhaps if we had of behaved ourselves we wouldn't be getting our knuckles rapped by the teacher.

Perhaps if we hadn't of gotten on our high horses when the German Abassordor to Ireland dared speak up we too could have a few Euros in the bank:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/reprimand-for-german-envoy-over-his-coarse-irish-speech-1081773.html

Augmerson

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/angela-merkel-really-likes-michelle-obama

Ghandee

Move over Hitler, and, I can't believe its not Hitler.

Best brush up on your German folks, they're set to conquer us all!

pragmatic1

She didn't do Ireland any favours by opening her trap either. Can't stand her.

Doc Ruby

Chinasea wrote: »

Oh it is so tiresome to hear the same auld cheap jokes rolled against the Germans time and time again.

Perhaps if we had of behaved ourselves we wouldn't be getting our knuckles rapped by the teacher.

Perhaps if we hadn't of gotten on our high horses when the German Abassordor to Ireland dared speak up we too could have a few Euros in the bank:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/reprimand-for-german-envoy-over-his-coarse-irish-speech-1081773.html

Not a discussion about Irish people goes by without chinasea sticking his oar in to flail at their heads. The man was a buffoon, and any idiot could see there are endemic problems with our public sector.

These same people you call "teacher" were shoving men, women and children into the ovens by the million within living memory, oh sorry lets not talk about the war, anyway they learned their lesson the hard way economically and made some good decisions. Hopefully our politicians will do likewise, although there's a strong case to be made that we were doing alright until that fool Lenihan gave the blanket guarantee.

Caliden

Maybe it's time they get sent the bill for WW2 seeing as they have all this extra money.

Biggins

who what when wrote: »

...They found out the hard way that they couldnt do it through war so now they're trying economics instead!

...As are the Chinese.

Gee Bag

Chinasea wrote: »

Oh it is so tiresome to hear the same auld cheap jokes rolled against the Germans time and time again.

Perhaps if we had of behaved ourselves we wouldn't be getting our knuckles rapped by the teacher.

The only thing more tiresome than German jokes are people who keep telling us we should be more like the Germans.

Cardinal Richelieu

Chinasea wrote: »

Oh it is so tiresome to hear the same auld cheap jokes rolled against the Germans time and time again.

Perhaps if we had of behaved ourselves we wouldn't be getting our knuckles rapped by the teacher.

Perhaps if we hadn't of gotten on our high horses when the German Abassordor to Ireland dared speak up we too could have a few Euros in the bank:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/reprimand-for-german-envoy-over-his-coarse-irish-speech-1081773.html

Didn't he complain to RTE about filming of Fair City waking him up at night? How can he attack that cultural institute of Fair City!

smokedeels

Ghandee wrote: »

Move over Hitler, and, I can't believe its not Hitler.

Best brush up on your German folks, they're set to conquer us all!

9!!!!!!!!!!!

Joshua J

Ah she just needs a good riding. I'll take one for the team. All I needs a bottle of vodka, antiseptic, olive oil and a new identity. "Ich liebe dich Angela....." /dry heaves.

Min

If we didn't get German money we would be in a much worse state. He or she who pays calls the tune, unfortunately.
We as a nation brought this mess on ourselves, the state allowed irresponsible borrowing encouraged by tax incentives and low interest rates, the interest rates were to suit Germany, but we had too much tax take based on once off payments and now we are changing that.
The whole mess could have been avoided, no point blaming Germany though they hold some responsibility in terms of the interest rates and their banks lending to Irish banks.
We should have controlled our banks with proper implementation of regulations which was ignored at the time.
So Angela Merkel is not the problem, we created our own problem, it is Germany that has been left to try and solve it given their economic might.

pragmatic1

Caliden wrote: »

Maybe it's time they get sent the bill for WW2 seeing as they have all this extra money.

Or the reunification of Germany.

D1stant

Min wrote: »

If we didn't get German money we would be in a much worse state. He or she who pays calls the tune, unfortunately.
We as a nation brought this mess on ourselves, the state allowed irresponsible borrowing encouraged by tax incentives and low interest rates, the interest rates were to suit Germany, but we had too much tax take based on once off payments and now we are changing that.
The whole mess could have been avoided, no point blaming Germany though they hold some responsibility in terms of the interest rates and their banks lending to Irish banks.
We should have controlled our banks with proper implementation of regulations which was ignored at the time.
So Angela Merkel is not the problem, we created our own problem, it is Germany that has been left to try and solve it given their economic might.

Exactly. Much easier to blame someone than own up to the fact that the Irish were stupid and its leaders incompetent. The truth hurts

hooradiation

Doc Ruby wrote: »

These same people you call "teacher" were shoving men, women and children into the ovens by the million within living memory

Wait, Angela Merkel participated in the genocide of about six million people in 1940's Germany?

Astounding!

Nodin

who what when wrote: »

I've said it before and i'l say it again. There's something in those German jenes that make them hell bent on world domination. They found out the hard way that they couldnt do it through war so now they're trying economics instead!

Pathetic.

My name is URL

I wouldn't say I hate her. I don't even dislike her. If it wasn't for the situation that Europe currently finds itself in, I'd go as far as to say that I actually like and admire her.

It's not her fault that we are where we are. She inherited a problem just like the rest of us.. her problem just happens to be a bit different.. being leader of the largest and most exposed economy in Europe, it's not exactly absurd that she appears to be doing everything in her power to avoid totally succumbing to those problems.

I'd sooner her than Kenny tbh.

enfant terrible

I wish she would just shut up and keep giving us money.

Doc Ruby

hooradiation wrote: »

Wait, Angela Merkel participated in the genocide of about six million people in 1940's Germany?

Astounding!

I know she's a large lady but I wasn't referring to her by the plural, rather to the Germans, as the context of the discussion clearly shows. Your attempt to sashay off into a "these are not the same people" side alley and mug the discussion with mind yawningly hackneyed perspectives has instead resulted in a swift lesson on how to engage politely with other people on the internet, in particular since the German anti-inflationary measures responsible for much of their current well being are rooted in the Weimar republic which in fact predates the horrors of the holocaust.

Eramen

who what when wrote: »

I've said it before and i'l say it again. There's something in those German jenes that make them hell bent on world domination. They found out the hard way that they couldnt do it through war so now they're trying economics instead!

No, they just aren't lazy or big on Irish procrastination; they work and save and build.

To say the German people guide their country's destiny is foolish, it is the power of money that determine what 'Western states' do and don't do.

We Irish aren't exactly on top on of things in our own nation either. There is private interests leading the way.

Chinasea

Doc Ruby wrote: »

These same people you call "teacher" were shoving men, women and children into the ovens by the million within living memory, oh sorry lets not talk about the war, anyway they learned their lesson the hard way economically and made some good decisions. Hopefully our politicians will do likewise, although there's a strong case to be made that we were doing alright until that fool Lenihan gave the blanket guarantee.

Oh yea, the pea brain elephant memory syndrome yet again. Yawn, cringe puke.

This thread is about the giant cac ca that is in Ireland's nappy now - ABSOUTLEY NOTHING to do with the history that you harp on about now.

Doc Ruby

Chinasea wrote: »

Oh yea, the pea brain elephant memory syndrome yet again. Yawn, cringe puke.

This thread is about the giant cac ca that is in Ireland's nappy now - ABSOUTLEY NOTHING to do with the history that you harp on about now.

What, the history about the nazis, attempted genocide, concentration camps, gas chambers, hitler, those events that people still alive can remember and everyone everywhere will remember forever, long looooong after this minor financial spat is over, you mean? Quite the teacher.

Mickey H

benwavner wrote: »

I would get great pleasure in smacking Merkel with a sweaty sock right across that crazy face of hers.

Make sure the sock is full of pennies...

Ghandee

Mickey H wrote: »

Make sure the sock is full of pennies...

Misread that as penises lol.

Shenshen

Caliden wrote: »

Maybe it's time they get sent the bill for WW2 seeing as they have all this extra money.

They have already paid that :

$23 bn to the allies
$450 mil to Israel (in addition to individual claims)
$3 bn to the World Jewish Congress for survivors in other countries

It also finished paying off reparations for WW I in 2010

Mickey H

Ghandee wrote: »

Misread that as penises lol.

Nodin

Ghandee wrote: »

Misread that as penises lol.

Now thats just silly. Nobody is giving away bags of mickeys in a recession.

peasant

enfant terrible wrote: »

I wish she would just shut up and keep giving us money.

You and the rest of Europe

Merkel is absolutely useless in the current cisis, she either waffles on for hours without saying anything of substance or when she finally says something you can bet it's at the wrong time or in the wrong tone.

.....................................................................................................

FWIW, life for the average German is by no means as rosy as people here imagine it to be.
If you have a job, you're lucky to go home with half of your paycheck after taxes ...the average take-home pay in Germany is 17560 Euro p.a :eek:
http://www.focus.de/finanzen/steuern/nettoverdienst-im-freien-fall-lohnsteuer-abgaben-und-sozialversicherung-auf-rekordstand_aid_736137.html

Pay rent and bills out of that and you're left with sweet f.a.


Worse if you loose your job and you're either forced to work in one of those new-fangled 400 Euro jobs (to keep you out of the statistics) or you end up on what they call "Hartz IV", the meanest, stingiest, most demeaning and intrusive form of "social welfare" there is ...scraping by at the absolute minimum and they'll have you begging for that.

hooradiation

Doc Ruby wrote: »

I know she's a large lady but I wasn't referring to her by the plural, rather to the Germans, as the context of the discussion clearly shows.

So the upshot of all this is that your post was the puerile bollox it originally appeared to be and your unrepentant about that.

Fantastic, glad we took the time for you to demonstrate that.

OldmanMondeo

benwavner wrote: »

I would get great pleasure in smacking Merkel with a sweaty sock right across that crazy face of hers.

Stoopid Frauline.

So what your saying is you would give her one....Durty boy....

BIG BAD JOHN

I don't have a problem with the bigger EU states providing leadership in difficult circumstances.
My problem is that, in my opinion, Merkel is not showing leadership and has a huge aptitude for saying absolutely the wrong thing. To be politically incorrect, she's the kind of person who, on meeting a cripple, will talk about feet.

Pottler

Caliden wrote: »

Maybe it's time they get sent the bill for WW2 seeing as they have all this extra money.

They've been paying billions in reparations ever since it ended. Boring listening to all the song singers on here farting about how Germany is having a go at poor Ireland. Bit like listening to someone whinging about having to repay "dem bastreds" in the credit union after they've pi55ed the loan they got up a Spanish beachfront wall. We made a fcuk of the economy, we're still making a fcuk of it and until we stop making a fcuk of it, chances are we might be in for a few lectures from people who bailed us out and are still bailing us out.

Cool_CM

Doc Ruby wrote: »

hooradiation wrote: »

Wait, Angela Merkel participated in the genocide of about six million people in 1940's Germany?

Astounding!

I know she's a large lady but I wasn't referring to her by the plural, rather to the Germans, as the context of the discussion clearly shows. Your attempt to sashay off into a "these are not the same people" side alley and mug the discussion with mind yawningly hackneyed perspectives has instead resulted in a swift lesson on how to engage politely with other people on the internet, in particular since the German anti-inflationary measures responsible for much of their current well being are rooted in the Weimar republic which in fact predates the horrors of the holocaust.

Yes, the Weimar Republic did predate the Holocaust. Your knowledge of German history and economics is clearly far superior to that of everybody else.

I thought that the basis for their current well being, without getting historical, is the fact that they generally save more money than us?

I spend most of my day trying to convince Germans that they should take nicer hotel rooms over basic ones and they will almost never pay over the odds unless it is for breakfast. They are generally a lot better with money than we are.

Also, didn't most of our credit come from German savings that weren't being spent?

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm in no way an expert on the matter though you clearly seem to be and I am eager to learn.

Zebra3

who what when wrote: »

I've said it before and i'l say it again. There's something in those German jenes that make them hell bent on world domination. They found out the hard way that they couldnt do it through war so now they're trying economics instead!

The German are hardly unique in trying to take over the world.

The Brits raped their way around the globe and the French and the Spanish had a pop at it too.

The Americans have taken the mantle since WWII.

BIG BAD JOHN

Whilst I am greatly disappointed with Angela Merkel, I have no argument with the German people as such and don't think references to WW2 have too much relevance.
It's about her lack of leadership and her shooting off at the mouth (like her comments on Greece today) before getting her brain in gear.
She may be the political head of the most successful EU nation (and they largely deserve to be that) but the whole point of the EU project is based on mutual respect and she was quite disdainful (IMHO) towards the Greek people today after their putting their heads on the block in yeterday's election.
And this was not an aberration. She cannot seem (metaphorically speaking) to be able to pass someone lying on the ground without giving them another kick.
If she cannot say something positive, she might be better saying nowt.

Dyr

benwavner wrote: »

I would get great pleasure in smacking Merkel with a sweaty sock right across that crazy face of hers.

Stoopid Frauline.

Put a snooker ball in that sock first

woodoo

peasant wrote: »

If you have a job, you're lucky to go home with half of your paycheck after taxes ...the average take-home pay in Germany is 17560 Euro p.a :eek:
http://www.focus.de/finanzen/steuern/nettoverdienst-im-freien-fall-lohnsteuer-abgaben-und-sozialversicherung-auf-rekordstand_aid_736137.html

Your average family with 2 children would get that on the dole here and still have their rent, medical card etc paid for. They might even be insulted with that little money on the dole.

Our politicians are worse they would actually say any less would lead to poverty on the most vulnerable and that it would be unfair to cut it :eek:

DonQuay1

Shenshen wrote: »

They have already paid that :

$23 bn to the allies
$450 mil to Israel (in addition to individual claims)
$3 bn to the World Jewish Congress for survivors in other countries

It also finished paying off reparations for WW I in 2010

No it didn't. It was forgiven a massive amount of its WW2 reparations in '49. And the actual treaty wasn't signed 'til 1990.... and still in the courts ....

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/wwii-reparations-case-germany-doesn-t-feel-obliged-to-pay-more-a-786216.html

09/14/2011

WWII Reparations Case 'Germany Doesn't Feel Obliged to Pay More' AP Judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Sept. 12.

This week The Hague addresses a dispute over whether Italian courts can skirt German sovereignty in demanding reparations for Nazi war crimes. In an interview with SPIEGEL Online, victims' lawyer Martin Klingner discusses the implications of the case for his clients and future international war reparations.

In a case that could have consequences worldwide, Germany and Italy are squaring off this week at the United Nation's highest court in a jurisdictional dispute over the right of Italian courts to demand compensation for the victims of Nazi war crimes.

Hoping to quell what has been called "judicial tourism," Germany applied for proceedings in front of the World Court in December 2008, arguing that Italian courts have violated German sovereignty by addressing civilian claims for Nazi war crimes. The row originated from the case of Luigi Ferrini, who in 1944 was deported to Germany as a forced laborer. After an Italian Supreme Court ruled he should be compensated by Germany in 2004, a flood of similar cases have been filed in the country.



Greece would appear to have more than a case for money ..... Ireland wouldn't .....

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2093990,00.html

Another legal issue that has surfaced concerns the 476 million reichsmarks lent against its will to Germany by the Greek National Bank during the war. If this were to be considered a form of war damage, then in principle it would be subject to reparation — except that according to the 1990 treaty, Germany would not have to pay it. If the money were, however, to be considered a normal credit, then Greece would be entitled to get the money back.
Without interest, the amount in today's money would amount to $14 billion. With interest at 3% over 66 years, that would come to at least $95 billion. The problem is this: even partial recognition of such a debt would create a precedent that could bring untold claims in its wake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan

Reparations: Germany had no money or gold left after WW2. Although up to 300 heavy industrial factories from Germany were dismantled and re built in the US as well as France and the UK, etc, The US then went on to give Europe approx €17 Billion over four years to help us out of our problems. A pretty big sum - especially in '47!! Germany got a ginormous lump of that money ...

Franticfrank

The problem is this: even partial recognition of such a debt would create a precedent that could bring untold claims in its wake.

And quite rightly after all that trouble. Even though I wouldn't mind punching that woman in her sagging jowels, or taking that sock for that matter, most Germans who I've met seem quite insecure with her policies. You may speak here of European domination. However, I say go over and speak to the young German people. I guarantee you that they don't have these feelings. Actually, they do but only in soccer.

Sykk

Doc Ruby wrote: »

These same people you call "teacher" were shoving men, women and children into the ovens by the million

You're cute

conorhal

Min wrote: »

If we didn't get German money we would be in a much worse state. He or she who pays calls the tune, unfortunately.
We as a nation brought this mess on ourselves, the state allowed irresponsible borrowing encouraged by tax incentives and low interest rates, the interest rates were to suit Germany, but we had too much tax take based on once off payments and now we are changing that.
The whole mess could have been avoided, no point blaming Germany though they hold some responsibility in terms of the interest rates and their banks lending to Irish banks.
We should have controlled our banks with proper implementation of regulations which was ignored at the time.
So Angela Merkel is not the problem, we created our own problem, it is Germany that has been left to try and solve it given their economic might.

The Germans aren't solving it though, they are manipulating the process to their benefit as a creditor nation, just as it manipulated the currency to suit itself when it was a debtor nation.

The French and Germans were the ones responsible for the flawed architecture of the Euro, it was their ideological vanity project to backdoor further integration, and a handy way of restoring German competitiveness by abandoning the high value DM.
Germany then effectively managed the single currency as the DM 2.0, keeping interest rates ridiculously low because Germany, the first Eurozone country to breach the stability pact and exceed borrowing limits, needed to borrow and spend massive amounts of cash to pay off the costs of reunification while their economy bumped along the bottom with poor growth rates.
We didn’t see much of the self sacrificing 'we need to do what's best for Europe' attitude from them at the time, as they watched on while other European economies began to badly over heat.
Once the PIIGS went to the wall, how did the Bundesbank, sorry, ECB react? They tried to raise interest rates because the German’s were worried about inflation and the lumbered us with a bailout pegged at a vicious and punitive 6% interest rate (that only fell when Greece went to the wall and Germany began to worry about a default).
At every turn they have frustrated any real attempt to resolve the crisis because it ran counter to German interests.
They have been all gain (it actually costs investors to buy German debt at the moment and they low Euro exchange rate is a gift for their export sector), and no pain (there's a lot of talk about Germany funding bailouts, but it's not as if they are giving away money, they are lending it with intrest) during this crisis. The Germans have certainly never shown an ounce of self sacrifice or solidarity at any point during the Euro crisis. So it does beg the question, what the hell makes you think that a German solution to the problems that beset the currency will do anything for anybody else but Germany?