German Chancellor Angela Merkel stunned 200 parliamentarians and journalists in Europe Parliament when she fiercely opposed Greeks launching strikes and protests.
“You have to tell them, ‘It is not right, that every time I go on strike when a privatization is due, it is not right that a railway company is not able to pay its employees due to the ticket fares, it is not OK if the government ministries do not cooperate with each other, it’s not OK if one has a taxation system, but not paying taxes.”
I assume, that the aversion and the lack of understanding for the frustration and anger of austerity-ridden Greeks, have very much to do with the former DDR-mentality of Frau Merkel, where even basic labour rights were forbidden and hardly one dared to whisper “b” when Honnecker was singing “A”.
Nevertheless, Angela Merkel was sharply criticized by her own German people, with leader of European Socialists, Hannes Swoboda telling her:
“Together with the Troika you demand something, you would never demand in Germany: namely, the destruction of social networks”
Left MEP Gabi Zimmer told her: “Austerity kills! What is good to be more competitive if it takes people to perish?”
Green Party chairman Rebecca Harms spoke of “enslavement of the innocent” and of “Merkel’s Greek disgrace.” (Full story Tageblatt GER)
Rumors that Merkel considers to impose curfew on days of scheduled protests and to send her own tax-collectors to invade each and every home in Greece are not confirmed. At least, not yet.
No Greeks, No Strikes!
Rot in hell, Merkel.
Maybe Merkel might want to tell us what is right about this
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2012/11/20121108_EUunemp.png
Implementing austerity started in 2010, as her soluition to solve the problems of the PIIGS, including rising unemployment.
Funny how, 2 years into austerity in Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain, the ONLY country who seems to benefit from dropping unemployment rates as a result of our austerity programs in whole of the Euro-zone is…. Germany??? The graphs for the others look like the vapour trails of rapidly rising space rockets. I wonder what went wrong, or did it actually go wrong? Could it possibly be that the money that is being syphoned off from the PIGGS is being used to artificially reduce German unemployment ahead of the election. Little schemes like mini-jobs etc?
She did tell the EP yesterday that austerity was beginning to show signs of improvement. She never said who for. Anybody out there in Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Spain who is experiencing this heralded improvement?
When Merkel was shown in Greek TV, my Greek wife called me to watch it. My wife – who has spent about 17 years of her life in Germany – was very excited about it. With Greek temperament she shouted out: “Merkel is right! Greeks better listen to her!”
thank God, Greeks do not understand German.
There were Greek undertitles.
you know what I mean… nothing against your wife, but quite some Greek wife would think similar (with or without subtitles) if she’d married to a foreigner banker and live abroad.
You want to watch it Klaus, whatever it is she’s on, she becoming dillusional. The missus that is. Merkel is there already…
It is common phenomenon for immigrants facing a lot of bad publicity in the countries they move to take the views of their despisers about themselves and their people or former people. Nothing to flaunt to Greeks. I’m sure they are familiar already with the likes of your wife, nothing personal against your wife of course.
Don’t kid yourself: Hannes Swoboda is by no stretch of the immagination even close to being “her own German people”. Last time I checked he was still a Austrian.
lol true! I should had written: German speaking folks
Is it just Merkel or the great party of Germany pushing for this?
She has a pair of balls on her that no greek potitician will ever have. I wish she was greek and the leader of Greece.
lol I remember Germans sent some centuries ago a example of a garbarge bin here, I think they claimed he was a king or something