Posted on 11/09/2011 8:39:50 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has made a dramatic call for even deeper European integration to prevent a repeat of the eurozone debt crisis.
As the economic turmoil afflicting Italy and Greece threatened to engulf the entire European Union, Mrs Merkel called for a new “breakthrough” treaty that would give the EU greater fiscal powers to stop member states from running up dangerous levels of debt.
Describing the atmosphere within the eurozone as “unpleasant”, Mrs Merkel insisted that to prevent the collapse of the single currency the EU must show that it was prepared to change the Lisbon Treaty, which came into force two years ago, and cement even closer ties.
“It is time for a breakthrough to a new Europe,” she said. “A community that says, 'Regardless of what happens in the rest of the world, it can never again change its ground rules’, that simply can’t survive. I’m convinced of this.
“Because the world is changing so much, we must be prepared to answer the challenges. That will mean more Europe, not less Europe.”
In a clear reference to Italy’s broken promises on austerity measures, Mrs Merkel called for the EU to be given powers to compel a country, by stripping away its sovereignty, to honour commitments to bring budgets into line with eurozone spending targets.
“Pledges are always well and good, but the actual security for democracies is established structures, established rules that need to be verifiably followed — and require consequences for not following them,” she said in the speech in Berlin.
The call for deeper European integration at a time when EU decision-making has been widely criticised for making the eurozone crisis worse will alarm Britain. The Government is concerned that EU treaty change will lead to calls for a referendum or
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
You don’t need more power to cut spending. That is like the guys here who write the budget asking for an amendment to MAKE them balanced the budget.
Ze drem vil finalli kum tru.
Merkel has become delusional. No one in his right mind would think that you could even make France and Germany “just one big happy family” let alone France, Germany, and a dozen or so other countries.
Um wow, am I the only one here who thinks that statement is an earthquake?
Germany starting to build a Fourth Reich here, this time in league with the French?
Merkel's statements come a few days after she remarked that Deutschland "would do anything" to keep the EUrozone together.
That was taken by more than one country's press to mean "war".
yitbos
But, as an Italian newspaper recently editorialized, individual countries would not really be sacrificing for a "new Europe", they would be doing so for a new German/French coalition.
New Europe = New Germany
In a democracy, you CAN’T cut spending. It cost to many votes, and the next election cycle will be won by a guy who offers to increase spending.
Which is how democracy’s die.
Every time. No exceptions.
Ya wohl!
Make that...Ja wohl!
— also the drive of the Clinton/Albright years. They were both dead set against the US being the only superpower after the break up of the USSR. But I don't believe they were smart enough to know he dominant power being Germany, they would in time make it their own.
This is why a constitutional republic is the only sustainable form of a free society -
the constitution, if adhered to, limits the spending and prevents the formation of the situation that kills a democracy.
The problem is, it is more “democratic” for people to allow the constitution to be ignored. IE, more people will be for turning a blind eye to constitutional violations if said violations benefit them.
Somewhere Otto B. is smiling.
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