Originally Posted by
Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
As I've just said, I'm a Europhile, but the current EU has become effectively the Mitteleuropa customs union that Kaiser Wilhelm invisgased in 1914 just after the war had started when he thought Germany were about to win a quick victory.
"Germany would create a Mitteleuropa economic association, ostensibly egalitarian but actually dominated by Germany. Members would include the new buffer states."
That is what's basically happened, isn't it? I still want to stay in the EU and reform it from the inside, as the future is continental, no longer the C19th concept of modern nation states.
And Germany never intended to use the EU to create the German dominated customs union that Wilhelm invisaged. But this has happened for various reasons. The econ power of Germany, the Euro and the crash, the fact that they have vastly lower real wage growth than every other OECD member, impoverishing the southern nations keeps the Euro far lower than a DM would be helping German exports etc etc.
As with the refugees, Merkel can impose her will on other nations who have no way of voting Merkel out. She has the power, but with no accountability. Of course she has the put the interests of her voters first when they are in conflict with the interests of other EU/EZ countries.
There needs to be political, fiscal union, especially for the EZ monetary union states.
But why would Germany do that? Let the poor states vote what to do with German tax revenue? They won't. They have their cake and are eating it with the Euro helping German exports while stoping the South devaluing their way out of the crisis as GB did after the crash.
We should stay in the EU and try to help force these reforms. But I can't justify Merkel telling other nations who can and can't come into their country from outside the EU when these nations have no way of voting her out. The 1914 September Programme has come to pass.
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