Germany wants to take control of the Greek budget ?!

[minionofmidas]

Control by the Merkel regime is hardly the same thing as German control.

[minionofmidas]

My opinion: the Germans and Brits have pulled all the weight in the EU from Day 1

Someone doesn't know sh!t about the postwar history of Europe...

[minionofmidas]

The problem is not this country, or that country, it's a faulty conception of economics that says austerity and other contractionary measures will lead to growth.

this 'conception of economics' didn't emerge in a vacuum.  it dates back to the 70s, when the precedent was set in these situations to privilege creditors over citizens in cases of excessive sovereign debt.  and it continues to today.  the austerity policies are backed by finance capital (and their shill media) with the intent of keeping inflation near zero at all costs, as to not deflate the value of their interest payments.

This.

[minionofmidas]

Angus, it should be noted that Germany never wanted the euro. It was pushed on them against their will. They realized they would probably end up paying for it.

Who exactly are you calling "Germany" here? Not our governing classes - the people who're using it right now to plunder everything of value in Greece in an unholy alliance with eurosceptic popular sentiment.
It's true that such sentiment about the currency ever existed, and polls never showed majority support for it. Though what would have happened with a referendum and a referendum campaign, no one can say for certain. Mostly because such things do not exist here.

[minionofmidas]

Angus, it should be noted that Germany never wanted the euro. It was pushed on them against their will. They realized they would probably end up paying for it.

Who exactly are you calling "Germany" here? Not our governing classes - the people who're using it right now to plunder everything of value in Greece in an unholy alliance with eurosceptic popular sentiment.
It's true that such sentiment about the currency ever existed, and polls never showed majority support for it. Though what would have happened with a referendum and a referendum campaign, no one can say for certain. Mostly because such things do not exist here.

From what I understand there was considerable skepticism among the German elites as well (although not as much) but they went along with it in exchange for German unification.

Lol no. Unification and the Euro have nothing whatsoever to do with each other except being invented (in part) by the same people. First the one, then the other. Theo Waigel conquers the world.

[minionofmidas]

Different sets of heads is definitely 2 Marks.

And since Ernest messed up on his image codes, here and here is the pre 75 silver five.

[minionofmidas]

The one where not any of the relevant decisions were in any way made or even much negotiated on between spring of 89 (adoption of the Delors Report, the earliest arguable point of no return) and sometime in 91 (Maastricht negotiations), obviously. Also, the one where Theo Waigel was one of the Euro's prime architects and cheerleaders.

[minionofmidas]

Especially when those two sentences look editted in by some agenda-pusher, given the way they break the paragraph's flow.

Thatcher, especially, wanted assurances that the new united Germany wouldn't be too independent. The Common Market is kinda sorta tied up with that in vague ways... but it's not nearly as clearcut as with German soldiers actually being involved in NATO operations as they never were before 1990. As to the currency... well you only need to remember British stances past present & future on the currency, and on French and German dominance in the EU, to realize the notion is a little far fetched.