Germany declares economic war

Germany declares economic war

blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Remember that Herr Steinbrück is not a journalist, pundit, or back-bench maverick. He speaks officially for the German government and for the German nation on the international stage.
..........
What he said, in effect, is that Germany will marshal its forces to ensure that a chunk of the British economy is shut down - whatever the social consequences. This is the closest thing I have seen to a declaration of economic warfare in Western Europe in my lifetime.

(visit the link for the full news article)

So now Herr Steinbrück wants to force the Brittish economy to shut down because the Brittish government didn't agree completely with the demands of Germany.

If I understand the issue well, the German government wants England to ensure stricter financial regulations by "sharing the burden of the financial crisis in the form of new taxes on exchanges."

I would like to find out what Brittish members have to say about this, as well as any German member.



blogs.telegraph.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

And folks here in the US and abroad wonder why Britain has been so seemingly reluctant to join and comply with the EU.

I don't know much about this current problem, but I don't blame Britain.

Crazy Europeans don't want ANYONE to do well.

They're want to be miserable and want everyone to be equally miserable.

Screw them.

Go Britain!

This is a pretty sensationalist claim, economic war.. yea right. Shut down the British economy? Nonsense.

The Germans want stricter financial regulation to ensure steadier albeit slower, less wasteful growth for the future.. this will ensure the 'Boom Bust' system that occurs in the Anglo Saxon economic model will not happen again or if it does happen, will not cause the same kind of crash.

The British 'City of London' financial district is a hub for most of the global investment market. The financial work that takes place there is almost all based on speculation and is key to the survival of the Anglo Saxon model that the UK/US/Ireland/Canada/Australia use (or used to use depending on how these countries policies are changed by this crises).

The City of London is the epitome of the unregulated financial free market that has both driven western development and set it back a decade over the past two years.

The regulated Continental system that the Germans are trying to push makes it slightly harder to get loans, harder to profit from speculation and curbs growth quite a bit while making it more stable.

Personally, I think the Germans are correct, this needs to be done.

On the other hand, it would destroy the UK as a global financial hub unless the rest of the world follows suit.

Its a hard call. Personally, i think this crises is the end of the unregulated Anglo Saxon model. Especially seeing as the BRIC countries are developing rapidly with their models and the Continental model that Germany & France has proven to be pretty robust.

The Anglo Saxon model needs a frontier to exploit to be successful.. and there's not many of those left until we start colonizing space.

If this goes through, it will hit Britain and New York hard. I think its the right thing to do though.

Originally posted by dooper
Crazy Europeans don't want ANYONE to do well.

They're want to be miserable and want everyone to be equally miserable.

Screw them.

Eh?

1. You are Stereotyping... and doing it badly.

2. The model that the UK uses that the Germans want regulated CAUSED THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISES THAT HAS PUT THE WEST TENS OF TRILLIONS OF EUROS IN DEBT TO BAIL OUT SPECULATORS AND WEALTHY BANKERS after selling their bad debts through the markets to the rest of the world as "Stable Mid Yield Investments".. ie Ripping the world off.

Im sorry but what you said there is after really pissing me off. Its just stupidity IMO, you obviously don't know many of us "Europeans" or much about economics but yet would probably be one of the first people to complain about the bailouts and the crash while calling us whiney arrogant #s for doing the same thing.

Interestingly enough (unless I'm dead wrong) this OP relates to a very real phenomenon of which the citizens of the world have extremely little understanding. Not because of the so-called "complexity" of the market system; not because of "ideological" bent or persuasion, but because the Financial Industry (which is a misnomer - it's really more of a religion) has kept secrets from us since hundreds of years ago.

Economic warfare is both real and relevant - and on-going,

The US has been especially hard hit, and anyone who was confident in the US's ability to resist the corruption was hit hard as well. The US herself relied upon her closest and dearest ally, the UK to be partners for reasons that transcend the obvious. But one think neither group of citizens thought was that their collective leaders (along with those of the rest of the 'civilized' world) would either be unwilling to resist, or eager to join in the Keynisian model of 'trickle down.'

Germany seems 'surprised', and I suspect this is because her 'leaders' are just as ignorant of the mechanics 'behind the scenes' at the ISB and the IMF and the World Bank.

Few realize that the banking cartel or cabal, operates as a cohesive economic war-making machine. As long as we surrender to their authority to dictate monetary policy - it will remain so.

There are some things we ALL could do to thwart them... but the show business politician celebrities follow a script that will continue to drive us to refuse the privilege of acting as a single force. They make victims of us all, and with little effect - if any - on themselves or their 'class' of peers - so the only reason they say they care is because it helps them perpetuate their political relevance.

just saying....

Steinbrück has been spewing his poison in all directions; not long ago he prominently attacked Switzerland for being a "Tax-haven" and luring German investors out of Germany. Shortly thereafter, it came out that the Swiss Tax-model isn't any less strict than the german model; just less complicated.
Steinbrück has been somewhat qiet in our direction as of late, but screaming and cussing seems to be his one "purposes of existence", so I wouldn't put too much stock in his hissing fits.

Economic warfare? I don't think so, just a scream for attention. I'm not worried about the UK in this matter.

reply to post by Dermo


You're right. I'm American and I don't know all the ins and outs of the EU.

But what I do know is that Britain has at times been very reluctant to fully embrace the "all for one, one for all" crap.

France seems to demand to be in charge of everything, Germany bristles at the arrogance of the French, and the other nations suck up to France most of the time.

I'm only saying that Britain should tell Germany, and any other suck-ups to tend to their own business and let Britain tend to theirs.

If the EU is "family," it sure is a disfunctional family with pissing contests galore.

Balls up Britain!

reply to post by dooper
Lol at your post dooper. I'm a Brit and you speak for me. Nothing the EU has ever done is a benefit to me and my life. Britain would be better off going it alone, or even better becoming the 51st state!

reply to post by dooper


Are you telling me that noone in your country gives out about policy? Because this is simply a German economist giving out about a British policy. Its the words and opinion.. of one man out of 550 million.

At the end of the day its all just talk, questions and growing pains, the EU is a Superstate slowly being born. Try putting yourself in the shoes of politicians when your own country was coming together. Also this 'all for one, one for all "crap"' as you put it is a lil bit hypocritical dont you think? Texas wants out don't they?


Most Brits don't like the EU anyway, its mainly the idea of being under an empire when they were the controllers of one for so long.. no more, no less. If they actually embraced it, it would be a different story but the English have a proud mindset so probably never will.

Also, it is a cultural English thing to complain about everything anyway so obviously they are going to constantly complain about that.

Originally posted by ufoorbhunter
Britain would be better off going it alone, or even better becoming the 51st state!

We always knew you English wanted to be a part of the US. Maybe if you keep kissing ass, they might let you join.

reply to post by Dermo
Well I'd rather spend the night in a pub with a Yank than a German or a Belgian, I mean it's historic, no offence to the old Europeans, but we understand each other and share a common bond.

Personally I hope Germany goes out of it's way to declare economic war on the UK.. it would make getting out of the EU that much easier.

As an Aside:

Personally I have a pet peeve with the way certain terms are used like how it is all the fault of the Anglo-Saxon banking system, or Anglo-Saxon Economic Model.

Please can someone name me the Anglo-Saxons that set these systems up?

From my knowledge the Anglo-Saxons have not controlled England since 1066... since that date the Ruling elite has been Norman, Anjou, Hanover and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ect (Most of whom until the mid 1700s spoke English as a second language) nor did they intermarry with the common Anglo-Saxon.

Even when you are talking about the 19th or 20th Century rich they were mostly from those same families

So the only Anglo-Saxons I see behind setting up the banking system, were the stonemasons or carpenters who built the buildings, or those inside pushing brooms around cleaning up after the elite or serving up their tea and crumpets.

The Anglo-Saxons in my mind have always been the slave in this model, and yet they are ones being blamed for the worlds woes..

The basis of all the systems sit with the elites, sit with those with the wealth and power... and the Anglo-Saxons were not the elites, they did not have the real wealth only the fabled "commonwealth" and no matter how much I might want it to be the other way, it just isn't true.

Sorry this is just one of my pet peeves.

All I see is the elites demonising all Anglo-Saxons for the banking collapse, and everyone else quite happy to jump on the bandwagon and blame the Anglo-Saxons.

Originally posted by Dermo
The Anglo Saxon model needs a frontier to exploit to be successful.. and there's not many of those left until we start colonizing space.

Let the colonizing begin.

Luna First.

reply to post by Dermo


Ouch... I'd rather not be airstrip one, and personally want to see England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland being sovereign nations rather than joining some bloated club, neither in the US or the EU.

I still hope Germany does declare economic war on the UK... we've been bankrupt before and I am sure we'll be bankrupt again.. it's always a good time to get your house in order and your priorities straight

Lets just clear up a few things in this thread...

Firstly, the English don't like the EU because it has become something other than what were originally asked to sign up for. We did not join to become "another state" in the EU super-state, we signed up for a free trade and freedom to travel deal. We were then sold out as successive Governments signed more and more of our Soveriegnty over to Brussels, where they dictate to us how to run the country.

It has nothing to do with being a previous ruler of an empire and now being absorbed into another. the English ahve fought for centuries against a large continetal power bloc forming as it would threaten our independance, but now we've sleep walked into one via diplomacy. The French and Germans have been trying this for centuries and after seeing we couldn't be defeated militarily, they decided to talk us into it and use our corrupt politicians to betray us.

The sad part is, our Governments follow this dictats to the letter, whereas Germany and France ignore them without penalty and carry on with their protectionist stance, with nationalised industries receiveing subsidies and "loans", whereas the British Government doesn't support our industries, hence the decline. We've been sold out and screwed.

Secondly, the English have been second class citizens in their own country for quite some time, and they are the only Nation in the Union not to Govern themselves even going so far as to having Scots MP's voting on laws that don't affect them and only affect England and Wales.

Lets not even get started on the wave of migrants which cross dozens of "safe countries" in the EU, only to be passed on to the UK. When we complain about it, we're branded as racist, even though our island is full and indigineous people can't find work or buy a home.

Also, we would never accept being the "51st" state anymore than we'd accept being a "state" within the EU.

I suspect Dermo is only so Pro-European because Ireland has benefitted from billions of EU cash to pull their country out of the crap-heap. The UK has no such investment. We just get the bill. Even the French get tens of Billions every year for their farmers to do nothing. Most EU money goes to Scotland or Wales, hardly any gets spent in England.

Then, to add insult to injury, the Scottish and Welsh get more MEP's per head than England and the EU treats them as a single entity, whereas it is trying to force the regionalisation of England in order to break us up, as they know the biggest resistance to the EU in the Uk comes from the English.

I could go on for hours, but we all know the usual gripes. Problem is, Westminster and the Scottish dominated cabinet don't care about England. we're seen as a cash cow to pay for everything.

[edit on 24/9/09 by stumason]

Originally posted by thoughtsfull
From my knowledge the Anglo-Saxons have not controlled England since 1066... since that date the Ruling elite has been Norman, Anjou, Hanover and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ect (Most of whom until the mid 1700s spoke English as a second language) nor did they intermarry with the common Anglo-Saxon.

Even when you are talking about the 19th or 20th Century rich they were mostly from those same families

Actually, Normans did intermarry. Only a few thousand came over and within a few generations spoke English and though of themselves as English, rather than French (I know they are historically Norse, but the Normans were a French Vassal).

The rich families you speak of in the 19th and 20th were actually "commoners" using the industrial revolution to get rich, so thats another point I disagree with you on. Most of the old monied, dynastic families went broke around the same period.

Originally posted by ufoorbhunter

 

Well I'd rather spend the night in a pub with a Yank than a German or a Belgian, I mean it's historic, no offence to the old Europeans, but we understand each other and share a common bond.

I know exactly what you mean, us English speakers are the outcasts of Europe haha.

The Yanks are good fun as long as they're not western seaboard yanks There's a lot lost in translation with the 'real' Europeans. Luckily enough iv pretty good German, still don't get the humor tho.

Originally posted by ufoorbhunter
Personally I have a pet peeve with the way certain terms are used like how it is all the fault of the Anglo-Saxon banking system, or Anglo-Saxon Economic Model.

Please can someone name me the Anglo-Saxons that set these systems up?

Its the name of the Economic model of risk investment, The German and French one is called 'the continental model' etc etc. The Anglo Saxon model is evolved from the system that was used at the time of the East India trading company. And its the Yanks that crashed it, not the Anglo Saxons so don't worry

How do you think the Yanks feel.. Using the Anglo Saxon's economic model and speaking the Anglo Saxon language and living in Cities named after Anglo Saxon cities.. Must be why they are always bitching about the British.

reply to post by stumason


Totally behind you mate. The pro-EU bunch state we had a chance a voting.. when was it, back in 1977(not sure of the date since it was way before my time) which was a vote for the Common Market... now those who did vote have to be at least 60.. so no one under retirement age outside the elites have had a voice in any of this EU rubbish. All the parties we have are crooks and even the last part of the nuclear industry has now been sold off, hence I am happy to see this country go bankrupt... at least we can build from nothing.

It's been to long since the Anglo-Saxons have had a true voice in this country, hence my rant about the terms that include the word Anglo-Saxon... it seems we are still being blamed for everything... it's all the Anglo-Saxons fault after all that the world is in such a poor state.

reply to post by ufoorbhunter

Lol at your post dooper. I'm a Brit and you speak for me. Nothing the EU has ever done is a benefit to me and my life. Britain would be better off going it alone, or even better becoming the 51st state!

Yes! The absolute screw up in the matter of the foot and mouth disease comes to mind. I read the Warmwell site report, boy what a Charlie Foxtrot THAT was. I am surprised nobody lynched any politicians over that mess. (or do you now use Madame Guillotine, its so French) Now our ever loving "world overlords" have screwed us up again and are busy pointing finger so none of them gets lynched. I figure our Overlords have the plan already mapped out and G20 is just a dog and pony show.

"This present window of opportunity, during which a truly peaceful and interdependent world order might be built, will not be open for too long - We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order." Sept. 14, 1994 David Rockefeller, speaking at the UN Business Council.