Quite right,Stephen. Eaten bread soon forgotten.

Who is smug? The Bild is selling newspapers. Thejournal is repeating the story because it will create controversy, lots of comments and so will generate traffic. People fall for it, the media wins. They may be smug, but that’s not the right word. There’s nothing saying that the average German is smug. Xenophobia is the new easy way to boost headlines, nothing more.

The majority of Germans polled are wrong. I don’t believe they recorded the answers of the German people who laughed at the poll, at Bild, told them to not be so stupid, or just put down the phone or shut the door in their faces. No matter what country, you will always find idiots to give stupid answers to stupid questions, if you look for them in the right places.

@Klaus. Fair enough, a slim majority of German’s who responded to this poll were wrong, but that does not roll off the tongue in the same way ;-)

@ Marc – I agree, it is also important that a great many German people also feel badly treated and disrespected by the German political classes. It is not so different to the Irish people and the Irish political classes. What makes me angry, and the reason why I always comment on stories like this, is that deliberately creating or exploiting tensions between nationalities brings no benefit to people. Merkel based her strategy in exploiting these tensions to redirect attention away from the actual issues. That many commenters here “buy” into this “demonising of a nationality” means that they are helping the very politicals and bankers they say they are against. The only useful solution to the EZ crisis will be one that views this as an imbalance of power and assets between a new upper class and the middle/working and welfare classes. Divisions between the middle-class and welfare class and divisions between nationalities are only attempts to make the situation less transparent. Giving an already-angry person a target to hate is an easy way to avoid constructive action. I also believe that the majority of anti-German comments come from people with very little direct knowledge of the life and character of modern Germany. Many people’s assumptions seem to be based on WWII movies. Ireland is not only green fields, stone walls and sheep. You would be correctly offended if other nationalities refused to widen their view of Ireland away from the outdated cliches. So, to be balanced and fair, it is only correct that other people avoid the outdated-cliches about Germany and do not distinguish between a small group of politicians, international business-people, and the general population. And I don’t like cabbage salad ( but many Germans do ). It makes me fart.

Didn’t realise Avon had an official policy on this..

That’s where they got the term “fiscal compac” from

The euro has been disasterous for periphery nations.
Those who saw the downside, cleverly remained outside (ie. Denmark, Sweden).
The I’ll-advised (PIIGS nations) have paid a high price for ceding to core nation oriented monetary policy.

“The five years since our 1993 currency devaluation have been the only period in the history of the Irish State in which it has followed an independent exchange rate policy, permitting the punt to float rather than tying it to sterling or the Deutsche Mark. The resultant highly competitive exchange rate is the most important single reason for the ‘Celtic Tiger’ economic boom, which coincides exactly with that period. Yet having proved how successful can be an independent currency and exchange rate, our leaders are now abandoning control of them to others, in principle for all future time.”
Prof. Anthony Coughlan (1998)
http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM25/WhyProtest.html

It was poll for Bild, a tits, celebrity gossip and knee-jerk borderline xenophobic tabloids. If the Irish Sun had a poll on European economic policy, what result would you expect?

Ireland outside the Euro zone?
If you wish to go back to a scenario resembling the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s.
Because that is what would happen.
In the greater scheme of economics Ireland is not a major player.
It depends on joint efforts with other EU countries.

@Donncha, that’s gas

Cool the jets Avon!

Good point Re: Bild, If the sun held a poll I imagine it would be 4% in favour, 22% against and 74% ‘I dun not understood da question but can we see more of da bird on da page 3 tits please?’

Out of the EU, Classic, Yeh we’d be much better off outside the biggest trading block in the world. Genius idea.
Being in the EU is possibly the only reason there is anyone around to buy Avon off you. Infact entering the EU actually brought Avon here to manufacture for 30 years in Portarlington!!

“In the shadow of the Euro Crisis, the people of the Greek city of Volos are taking their monetary future into their own hands.

Theodoros Mavridis and other Euro-strapped Greeks have founded a local currency system called TEM, an acronym for ‘Local Alternative Unit’ in Greek.

Even though Greece is hemorrhaging Euros, Greeks still have goods and services valuable to each other. But without the actual Euros to pay for things in the local market, everyone is stuck trying to pay with goods in-kind: a week’s piano lessons for 3/4′s of a goat.

That’s where TEM comes in.”

Open-source currencies on the rise in Greece
By Zachary Caceres – July 26, 2012

Greeks are actively seeking alternatives to the Euro; not due to a particular aversion to the currency. The euro has been, and continues to be, issued in unprecedented quantities. Irish and Spanish citizens would do well to take note.
As the use of alternative currencies increases the ability of the state to collect revenues are further impeded.

“I expect the next phase of the credit crisis to intensify dramatically later in the year. By the end of this crisis, money will be free for the taking all over the world — yet no one will want to borrow and few will be willing to lend.
At least Ireland’s path is clear now. Firstly, it is imperative we get a comprehensive deal on our bank debt. While we cannot expect a unilateral write-off of bank debt now — that should have been done earlier — the most crucial point is the separation and warehousing of the debt into anything that removes the sovereign as the guarantor. We must try and achieve this before the rest of Europe unravels. It will be crucial later in the crisis as this debt is unlikely to ever be repaid.
Secondly, we must accelerate the structural reforms. Our main failure has always been utter inertia and our unwillingness to tackle vested interests. Finally, we must replace blind optimism with pragmatic realism.”
Paul Sommerville

You Sir, are a troll

Yes, Germany has done nothing for you. All 90 million of us now say sorry and promise never to go on holiday in Ireland again, offer jobs to Irish people in Germany, allow Freedom of movement in Germany, set up pharmaceutical plants in Ireland, purchase electronic components from Irish companies to use in our production plants, sell you cars and electrical goods, or contribute to bail-out funds when asked. I hope this makes you feel better. It os very clear that this will only have positive advantages to your life.

@Klaus You epitomise what many people see Germany for. A self righteous pompus nation who knows better than everyone else. The Irish people are bailing out Germany. German banks loaned out billions to EU countries so those countries could buy German goods and services. Thise banks are not bankrupt and the citizens are being forced to pay back those debts througb no fault of their own. When the German economy was slowing down in the early noughties the ECB lowered interest rates to help good old Germany and this is what helped to start the lending frenzy by German banks. If the PIIGS decided not to pay back the gambling debts of their banks, Germany would be screwed, simple as that. Now get down off your high horse.

*these banks ARE bankrupt (sorry, phone is knackered, as am I)

I think you should actually get to meet some German people before you say what a German person is or stands for. Arrogant, maybe? Pompous l, I don’t think so. My point was no that I think German people are better than Irish people. I don’t believe this. My point is that comments that give opinions without facts are just as arrogant and pompous, and they are foolish because they aid a non-existent controversy created in this case to simply sell newspapers. The person to throw the first stone, etc… You will get many green thumbs for your post, but only because German people are easy targets for lazy unimaginative people who want to blame other people for their own troubles.

Klaus you should be able to look past someone making utterly stupid comments like ‘Killjoy’, this is exactly what they want

I know, do not feed the trolls. Normally yes, but this is an important issue for me. I do not want to repeat myself, I only say that saying nothing feels like condoning stupid and damaging comments.