The Franco-German Rivalry Continues to Victimize Europe

     In my last post I argued that the problem with Greece is that it still is in thrall to the 'European Idea.'

     http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-power-of-european-idea.html

     It's as if the Greeks think that by leaving the euro they will magically float out of Europe an into deep Asia somewhere.

     I referenced Bernard Connolly's great book about the EU in my last post.

    http://www.amazon.com/Rotten-Heart-Europe-Dirty-Europes-ebook/dp/B009UMZWTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436793818&sr=1-1&keywords=the+rotten+heart+of+europe&pebp=1436793822723&perid=0K08006R3F0KQPDGW6ZH

   I started reading it last night. You should also check out Bill Mitchell's own EU book about its ignorance and groupthink.

  http://www.amazon.com/Eurozone-Dystopia-Groupthink-Denial-Grand/dp/1784716650/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436793908&sr=1-1&keywords=eurozone+dystopia+groupthink+and+denial+on+a+grand+scale&pebp=1436793915067&perid=1N66EK5F438CPGN47A8F

  It is very expensive but it can also be downloaded for free.

  Both Connolly and Mitchell trace the start of the euro mess to the rivalry of Germany and France.

  Speaking of Germany and France per the new deal we will have the first occupation in Europe since-you guessed it, Germany occupied France.

 "So finally, the Troika will “occupy” Greece, the first time that a foreign power has occupied an advanced European nation since you know when."

  "But soon the Greek government will be no more – Tsipras’s stupidity has engineered a massive split in his ranks and the Guardian is now reporting that the rejection of the bailout by many of his MPs has stripped “his government of a working majority”.

  The Troika chalks up success number X – they wanted regime change all along. There were photos of the New Democracy leader from Greece swanning around Brussels during the weekend’s torture, presumably telling the Troika that he would deliver whatever they wanted with relish. Appalling.

  "Tsipras, seemingly on another planet, is still talking about all this as a “compromise”. He obviously is not up to it."

   http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=31357#more-31357

   He sure does look like he's on another planet. The irony is that Keynes apparently was on mind-altering drugs when he did Bretton Woods-and that was as good a deal as this is as bad one. 

   "It’s a little-known fact that John Maynard Keynes was dosed up on mind-altering drugs when he carried out one of the most important economic negotiations in British history."

  https://medium.com/sky-news/when-crunch-talks-go-wrong-2322bc7ba88a

  Back to Mitchell:

"What led them into all this, way back then, was the Franco-German rivalry, that is a long-standing thorn in the side of European prosperity and cooperation. Its permeated into the Eurozone design once the US Monetarists took over the brains of the French economists in the 1970s."

  This is something that Connolly might not wish to agree with. There are some who argue that what has happened in the EU is the opposite of neoliberalism. 

  http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/07/09/whatever-is-happening-to-greece-its-simply-not-neoliberalism/

  I don't know. Hans-Hermann Hoppe has made it pretty clear that the libertarian conception of capitalism has no place for democracy. 

  http://www.amazon.com/Democracy---God-That-Failed-Perspectives/dp/0765808684/ref=sr_1_fkmr3_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436794873&sr=1-1-fkmr3&keywords=herman+hoppe+democracy+the+god+that+failed

  and can you think of a more undemocratic place than the EU? Meanwhile some interesting people are declaring 'The euro dead!'

  "The former boss of the German Social Democratic Party (SDP) – Oskar Lafontaine – who became German Finance Minister for a short period (October 27, 1998 to March 18, 1999) in the first government of Gerhard Schröder after he helped undermine Helmut Kohl’s Chancellership in the 1998 Federal elections, has pronounced (Source):

  "Der Euro ist gescheitert …

  "In English, “the euro has failed”.

   Oh, but may that be so!