German press slams 'egotistic' Poland and Britain after summit (Uh-oh!)

EUbusiness ^ | 24 June 2007

[Lukasz]

(BERLIN) - The German press on Sunday slammed Poland and Britain for putting obstacles on the road to the deal reached on guidelines for a new European Union treaty at the bloc's summit this week.

Bild, the country's top selling newspaper, reserved its harshest criticism for neighbouring Poland, calling the Kaczynski twins who hold the posts of Polish president and prime minister "poison dwarves".

"It would have been better if this summit had failed," the newspaper said in an editorial, adding that the bitter dispute over Poland's voting rights has shown that there is little hope for unity in the EU.

"That would have prevented the creation of a Europe of two speeds and two classes. The sickening double game played by the Polish brothers Kaczynski should make it clear to any fan of Europe that this is now inevitable."

Relations between Poland and Germany have never been warm since World War II and took another beating when Warsaw threatened to veto a deal on a new treaty over the voting rights issue.

Before the summit began, the deeply conservative Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his twin Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski evoked Poland's destruction at the hands of Nazi Germany as a reason why its population, and therefore its voting power, was so low.

In the end, Poland won a considerable concession on the voting issue in Brussels, persuading the bloc's other 26 members to delay the full introduction of the new system until 2017.

"Warsaw is on board. But the treaty should not yet be considered saved," Der Tagesspiegel newspaper said.

It warned that the upcoming intergovernmental conference to finalize drafting the treaty and the ratification process present "the next obstacles."

The Berliner Morgenpost agreed, saying that "disaster has been averted, for now."

"It is annoying to see to what extent the nationalistic, egotistical blocking tactics of Poland and Britain paid off," it added.

The newspaper said it feared that a dangerous precedent has been set whereby nations who threaten to block progress within the European Union will be given concessions in return for their cooperation.

"After a success like the one claimed by Poland, there is a danger that this tactic will become common currency."

Welt am Sonntag described the haggling that preceded the deal as "torture" and said despite its eventual success the summit will be remembered mostly for Britain and Poland's "egotistical" behaviour.

It predicted that relations between Berlin and Warsaw were heading for an "icy spell".

"Poland has failed to understand that the point of the European Union is to bury the hatred we inherited," the newspaper commented.

[J Aguilar]

The conservative candidate of Aznar’s party lost because the vast majority of the Spaniards was simply against any involvement of their country in Iraq.

So what are doing our troops in Lebanon? And in Afganistan?

Same thing in Spain. The bombing was simply the trigger that released a wave of a broad disaffection with Aznar because of Iraq.

A broad disaffection that was not shown in the polls. That comment is simply a manipulation. The aim of the attack was to frighten the Spanish population to avoid Aznar being reelected, not to "release a wave of broad dissaffection" previously hidden. That is mockery to the victims that show what is your moral position before killings in neighbouring countries that remove obstacles to the achievement of your plan of uniting Europe.

ETA or al Quaida? That was irrelevant.

It is not since ETA is based in France, and the French government of Chirac and other governments such the German, British and Italian obtained a great advantage from 3/11.

Atlantic Bridge, I don't want to think that you might in some way justify killings in order to removing obstacles in your plan of uniting Europe. I haven't freely brought the past into the discussion before and with all respect and just pointing out a fact, check that such stance would be close to the one Germans had in 1939.

With no respect for life, as you show, there will be no Europe. Believe me.

[skraut]

The show goes on.. Where is your victim-hood freak show?
Don’t disappoint me. I want my daily dose of vox_PL entertainment!
LOL.

[caveat emptor]

Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out, though maybe not just WikiWiki

[caveat emptor]

I can say that controlling Germany is still the most important of tasks for Europe.

No need to control Germany, no need for the EU, at its origin at least. France may have other ideas now.

[skraut]

‘’The only suitable person to do it is a reaaaly good psychiatrician, provided that it’s not too late, of course’’

Isn’t this, what other posters recommended to YOU, i.e. see a good shrink? Now take your recommended pills boy , will you!! -);

‘’Do not expect me to write to you anymore’’

No problem: I prefer decent, hard working, real life Polish people. Lots of them are working here in Germany. Leftovers from the Commie propaganda department like you and a few others have mainly entertainment qualities!!-))

[skraut]

I knew you could come up with SOME entertainment so late in the night! Now.. don’t forget your pills and have a good night`s sleep. I guess you can still fight the evil Germans tomorrow straight after a hearty breakfast!!
GOOD NIGHT;-))

[tetuhe1898]

Blitzkrieg, Luftwaffe, Zondercommand, Wehrmacht, and of cause, Untermenchen. Yes, German contribution is huge!

[Rummenigge]

you are not europopophile ?

Ohh - ok just don’t take germanies tax payers 27 billion € that are sceduled to be fed to poland over the next 7 years then :)))

btw - I could have lived with square root - now that I am a bit cooler.

I guess we need to look for majorites in europe anyhow.

Poland is not much of a problem for the EU - in fact it’s part of the solution I got to admit. England is much more trouble - debts up to the ears and a socialist moron as a leader - no good.

[Rummenigge]

Well I can’t say I am proud on that - but the concepts seem to live. Wich one is not an integral part of the WOT ?

[death2tyrants]

“Those friends who sold you in Yalta to the Soviets?”

And the western allies were to remove the red army from eastern Europe via diplomacy how?

[tetuhe1898]

Germany of the 40’s was a very effective and formidable war machine. It had a brilliant general staff, excellent tanks and aircrafts, disciplined and well trained infantry units etc.
What was their lack - it’s moral justification of what they did during the WW II. With regard to your question, an "untermenchen" concept really stinks. It may be still alive somewhere in the world, but I wish it died forever. P.S. By the way, do the Germans still perceive Eastern Europeans somehow inferior to them?

[Atlantic Bridge]

So what are doing our troops in Lebanon? And in Afganistan?

The German chancellor Merkel has some fundamental problems because of that. Nevertheless Afghanistan is seen much more as a nessecary operation against Al Quaida after 9/11 among my compatriots while there is and was never any understanding for the war in Iraq. Only very few people -like me- in Germany are in favour of it and practically nobody believes into the official justification of the US administration. If German troops would get into real trouble in Lebanon or Afghanistan it could turn out difficult to hold them there (just like in Spain) since the vast majority of the German people do not want to be involved into any warfare since the original reason -elimination of Al Quaida- is not the biggest problem there anymore. This is the reason why Mrs. Merkel keeps her troops under sharp restrictions in Afghanistan and i.e. took over only the maritime role of the Lebanon engagement. BTW - this restrictive course was quite successfull so far, since therefore German troops are much more respected and liked in northern Afghanistan than the western troops in the south. The Germsn sectors are still under control and quiet.

A broad disaffection that was not shown in the polls. That comment is simply a manipulation. The aim of the attack was to frighten the Spanish population to avoid Aznar being reelected, not to "release a wave of broad dissaffection" previously hidden. That is mockery to the victims that show what is your moral position before killings in neighbouring countries that remove obstacles to the achievement of your plan of uniting Europe.

There was a poll from the European Union in 2003 with the following question and results:

Is the Iraq war justified?

Greece 96% no.

Austria 86% no.

France 81% no.

Spain 79% no.

Luxemburg/Belgium 75% no

Germany 72% no

UK 51% no.

Source: http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb5/frieden/regionen/Irak/eu-umfrage.html

It is not since ETA is based in France, and the French government of Chirac and other governments such the German, British and Italian obtained a great advantage from 3/11.

Great advantage? Oh my God. Nobody had any advantage from 9/11. Not even Al Quaida. Simply try to ask their dead leaders. We Germans lost quite a few of your compartiots in those goddamm towers, in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Due to the controversial political points of view between the last German gouvernment and the US administration concerning Iraq the trans-atlantic relationship got some fundamental damage.

Atlantic Bridge, I don't want to think that you might in some way justify killings in order to removing obstacles in your plan of uniting Europe. I haven't freely brought the past into the discussion before and with all respect and just pointing out a fact, check that such stance would be close to the one Germans had in 1939.

"BuHuuuu! Bad bad nazi." Somehow I am fed up with this primitive argumentation. Instead of being a sissy whiner you should rather build up logical lines of argument. I never justified any killings. This is nonsense. I simply said that it does not matter who was the trigger of those terrorplots in concern of the election Mr. Aznar lost. If 79% of his compatriots did not see his war justified, he was in some deep trouble then.

[Atlantic Bridge]

Just think about your General Patton. Poland was the staunchest ally the US and the UK ever could think of and Russia was in a quite difficult situation in and after 1945. They were not prepared for a war against a nuclear capable Superpower. Therefore it would have been worth a try not to betray the Poles.

I know that most Americans and Brits see their leaders of that time as heroes. Concerning the Polish question they were for sure not very heroic.

[dfwgator]

Too many Stalin-lovers in our State Department back then, unfortunately.

[Atlantic Bridge]

P.S. By the way, do the Germans still perceive Eastern Europeans somehow inferior to them?

The bigger German society for sure no, some few idiots yes.

[stefan10]

That would be a a good idea.

The topic is really interesting because it shows that sometimes it is good to have a vision in politics and not only a “realistic” approach.

Somebody should also take the history of France and germany into account but also as said the history of the region of Robert Schumann. A region that often changed and where you also can see that nations as we know today are very young and new.
You can see that for example at the language question . While Alsace became french within the 17th century the people still spoke german. But that changed with the national movements (and nation building) we saw all over europe at the beginning of the 19th cetury.

So borders and nations are a very young political concept and looking at the history of this region more or less artificial and strange.

There is a reason why the very small country of Luxembourg is the real heart of Europe and they are often the driving force when bigger countries have problems or the EU shows no progress.

[J Aguilar]

So what are doing our troops in Lebanon? And in Afganistan?

I meant Spanish troops. BTW, are there German troops in Lebanon?

A broad disaffection that was not shown in the polls. That comment is simply a manipulation

A broad disaffection with the Aznar government. You are trying to hide the fact that Aznar's party was going to win the National Election, according to the polls. Those are two manipulations more.

Great advantage? Oh my God. Nobody had any advantage from 9/11.

Again, you got a great advantange for 3/11 (read carefully), the European Constitution was signed soon thereafter. Don't try to hide it.

"BuHuuuu! Bad bad nazi." Somehow I am fed up with this primitive argumentation. Instead of being a sissy whiner you should rather build up logical lines of argument. I never justified any killings. This is nonsense. I simply said that it does not matter who was the trigger of those terrorplots in concern of the election Mr. Aznar lost.

Why doesn't it matter? There is an attack and it doesn't matter who did it? Your neighbour is killed and you said "it doesn't matter who did it, he is already dead". This philosophy is applied too when Germany does not get profit, or simply in those cases?

Hey Mr. Bush, it doesn't matter who did 9/11!

If 79% of his compatriots did not see his war justified, he was in some deep trouble then.

The war in Iraq had nothing to do with 3/11, don't bring that argument because it is non-sense since Spanish troops are fighting before Al Qaeda in Afganistan then and right now, as you have said. You are the one that do not follow a rational discussion.

Aznar government was going to win the National Election and somebody organized a coup to avoid that. The major beneficiares where clearly France and Germany, because the European Constitution was signed soon thereafter, whilst Aznar had blocked it. The dynamite used is not Spanish, but European.

Those are the facts, that had nothing to do with Iraq.

Therefore, to bring Iraq into a discussion of 3/11, when there are evidence that Mr. Chirac did not wanted to reach an agreement about the Constitution in December 2003, it is the fourth manipulation.

I don't want a Europe based in deception, manipulation and murder, but Freedom and Justice. I am afraid others simply want an Europe where, it doesn't matter how, Germany prevails.