Watching the EU disintegrate.

[Ishmael]

The recent Greek elections are bound to set off a tsunami that is going to reverberate throughout the EU with the very real possibility of Greece withdrawing altogether. The danger is that Italy and Spain may follow soon behind.

Greek Elections.

Disenchantment with the EU is growing by leaps and bounds in most of the member nations with the immigration rules that were forced down the members throats being but one of the touchstones. National populism, some good, some bad, is on the rise.

Dying European Dream.


The economic and political instability that is going to ripple across the globe and will not be good news for anyone.

How they ever thought that they could rule, and rule is the word, by fiat so many nations with such diverse histories, cultures, and linguistics with an unelected elite from Brussels is beyond my ken. They've managed, not surprisingly, to piss everyone off.

Can France and Germany hold it all together? Will the elite retreat from their most onerous edicts in time to stave off the growing waves of populism? I would like to think so, but I don't have high hopes.

Ishmael

 

[Que]

It was a dumb idea from the start. Look at the erosion of sovereignty our individual, sovereign States have suffered with the insidious creep of power that always comes from centralizing authority.

Eventually, if they do not split soon, they will all have to do as their masters at the EU tell them and they will lose all sense of national identity. It will be voluntary, carrots and sticks just as it is here. Eventually they will be too entangled to separate. I don't think it will take them 200 years.

 

[SuprSalor]

And does it matter to the rest of the world if they do, or do not stay together?
Banks and other money markets will fluctuate wildly as they always seem to do whenever the greek bankers so much as farts.. And things will settle down and we'll all get back our 'Dancing with Biggest Survivor Losers' and latest sports news and and no one will care..

 

[1sickbastard]

The Eurozone is in far more trouble than the European Union.
Given that Europe is what it is; geographically, culturally & economically fractured, compartmentalized & diverse, a common currency really only benefits a few national economies.
Even without import/export tariffs, individual national currencies provide natural barriers which insulate the individual states from the failings of weaker economies.

And it isn't just about the Greek elections. The quantitative easing plan put forth by the ECB is more indicative of Eurozone weakness.

 

[Ishmael]

The Eurozone is in far more trouble than the European Union.
Given that Europe is what it is; geographically, culturally & economically fractured, compartmentalized & diverse, a common currency really only benefits a few national economies.
Even without import/export tariffs, individual national currencies provide natural barriers which insulate the individual states from the failings of weaker economies.

And it isn't just about the Greek elections. The quantitative easing plan put forth by the ECB is more indicative of Eurozone weakness.

Understood. It's like trying to pick the specific straw that broke the Camel's back when it was the cumulative effect of all the straws.

The "Boy's in Brussels" and their enablers lost sight of the fact that they were trying to build a 'union' and started to build a nation.

Ishmael

 

[1sickbastard]

It was a dumb idea from the start. Look at the erosion of sovereignty our individual, sovereign States have suffered with the insidious creep of power that always comes from centralizing authority.

Eventually, if they do not split soon, they will all have to do as their masters at the EU tell them and they will lose all sense of national identity. It will be voluntary, carrots and sticks just as it is here. Eventually they will be too entangled to separate. I don't think it will take them 200 years.

The so-called sovereignty of the several states was a pretty much a moot point after the Civil War.
You can say "states rights' all you want, but if it can't be backed up by force of arms, there ain't no way to make it stick.

 

[1sickbastard]

Understood. It's like trying to pick the specific straw that broke the Camel's back when it was the cumulative effect of all the straws.

The "Boy's in Brussels" and their enablers lost sight of the fact that they were trying to build a 'union' and started to build a nation.

Ishmael

The idea that Europe can be unified under peace and prosperity only works if all members are sharing peace & prosperity. It's when only part of the 'union' enjoys said peace & prosperity and part is dealing with economic difficulty &/or internal/external threat that it all falls apart because there is no commitment to a shared fate during adversity.

If history has demonstrated anything, peace and prosperity are at best temporary conditions which always give way to adversity.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

It will make it hard to redistribute that wealth.

 

[phrodeau]

Dunno, if it's taking more than six years to disintegrate, I won't waste time watching it.

 

[Libsam]

The recent Greek elections are bound to set off a tsunami that is going to reverberate throughout the EU with the very real possibility of Greece withdrawing altogether. The danger is that Italy and Spain may follow soon behind.

Greek Elections.

Disenchantment with the EU is growing by leaps and bounds in most of the member nations with the immigration rules that were forced down the members throats being but one of the touchstones. National populism, some good, some bad, is on the rise.

Dying European Dream.


The economic and political instability that is going to ripple across the globe and will not be good news for anyone.

How they ever thought that they could rule, and rule is the word, by fiat so many nations with such diverse histories, cultures, and linguistics with an unelected elite from Brussels is beyond my ken. They've managed, not surprisingly, to piss everyone off.

Can France and Germany hold it all together? Will the elite retreat from their most onerous edicts in time to stave off the growing waves of populism? I would like to think so, but I don't have high hopes.

Ishmael

You forgot to mention how the Swiss already unplugged from the Euro over a week ago. They are some smart mother fuckers. How many centuries have they been a sovereign nation?

 

[Libsam]

Don't worry though, the 0.001% are fine, they were tipped off to the Swiss decoupling a couple days before it happened, so George Soros stopped shorting the Swiss Franc just in time.

 

[Libsam]

cool video


Watch 1000 years of European border change in 3 minutes

 

[marshalt]

Europe just needs to have a war again. Just go fucking at it and beat the shit out of each other. No nukes to keep it clean. American can be the referee.

 

[Ishmael]

It will make it hard to redistribute that wealth.

You forgot to mention how the Swiss already unplugged from the Euro over a week ago. They are some smart mother fuckers. How many centuries have they been a sovereign nation?

Don't worry though, the 0.001% are fine, they were tipped off to the Swiss decoupling a couple days before it happened, so George Soros stopped shorting the Swiss Franc just in time.

These two thoughts, the Swiss move and 'wealth redistribution.' are tied together to an extent.

Go re-read the first link concerning the Greek elections. Buried towards the end of the article is the populist thought of 'getting the rich.' "They aren't paying their fair share." "Hiding their wealth overseas." Slogans and thoughts we've all heard before coming from various nations from time to time. (Recently here in the US in the "March on Wall Street.")

Of course the purveyors of these populist slogans and thoughts find out how the real world of wealth works once they gain power. They find out that wealth does indeed have an address, but that that address can change with the click of a mouse button these days. The peasants storm the ramparts of the Villas of the wealthy only to find the house empty and no one home. They 'confiscate' the Villa and only afterwards sit down to consider exactly who is going to pay the taxes on the property. The election of Hollande to head France should have served as a lesson, obviously no one learned anything. His populist rhetoric of socking it to the rich was turned into action that lasted what, 30 sec.? He has had to retreat from virtually every one of his populist policies since 2013.

But that populist rhetoric has always played well with the peasantry who firmly believe that they really are going to get something for nothing.

The point being that the Greeks, like the French just a few years ago, are going to find out that there is no wealth left to redistribute.

Ishmael

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

You forgot to mention how the Swiss already unplugged from the Euro over a week ago. They are some smart mother fuckers. How many centuries have they been a sovereign nation?

I was going to point out that the Swiss were the first rats off the ship.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

And what lesson will the American Left take from this fiasco?


Austerity and low taxes are never the answer.



A_J's corollary #8, “In times of crises, the New Age Liberal calls for more government and higher taxes. In times of plenty, the New Age Liberal calls for more government and higher taxes. The primary motivation is always Crusader-like Altruism and the illusion of ‘fairness.’”

A_J's corollary #8a, “The New Age Liberal believes that in good times Government can afford to spend more than it receives and in bad times, it can’t afford not to.”

 

[Ishmael]

And what lesson will the American Left take from this fiasco?


Austerity and low taxes are never the answer.



A_J's corollary #8, “In times of crises, the New Age Liberal calls for more government and higher taxes. In times of plenty, the New Age Liberal calls for more government and higher taxes. The primary motivation is always Crusader-like Altruism and the illusion of ‘fairness.’”

A_J's corollary #8a, “The New Age Liberal believes that in good times Government can afford to spend more than it receives and in bad times, it can’t afford not to.”

The same lesson they've taken from every one of their failures, "We didn't spend enough."

Ishmael

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

The same lesson they've taken from every one of their failures, "We didn't spend enough."

Ishmael

Followed closely by we didn't tax enough...

 

[RobDownSouth]

And what lesson will the American Left take from this fiasco?


Austerity and low taxes are never the answer.



A_J's corollary #8, “In times of crises, the New Age Liberal calls for more government and higher taxes. In times of plenty, the New Age Liberal calls for more government and higher taxes. The primary motivation is always Crusader-like Altruism and the illusion of ‘fairness.’”

A_J's corollary #8a, “The New Age Liberal believes that in good times Government can afford to spend more than it receives and in bad times, it can’t afford not to.”

• The Atlantic (2013) No, the United States Will Never, Ever Turn Into Greece
• Reuters (2012) America is not Greece: Low funding costs give U.S. government room to borrow
• Forbes (2012) The United States Is Not Greece
• The Economist (201) America: really not like Greece

Nevertheless, the Chief and his fellow Not-Republicans can never pass up an opportunity to bray about Greece being a cautionary tale for Murica.

#TheNarrativeUberAlles