It is, and I hate to say this, as if the lessons from annexing the Sudetenland have not been learned.
Eh?
My response elsewhere:
No, really, just no. As it happens I am sitting here in the Sudetenland this morning. About a 10 minute tank ride from the border. And none of us are looking warily at the hills that mark where that border is. It may well be a bad deal but asking for a bit of security before advancing a €50 billion and up loan is really not the same thing as installing Reinhard Heydrich as the Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia. Seriously people, get a grip.
I thought the lesson from Sudetenland was that Britain and France should have demanded withdrawal or a “state of war will exist between our nations”, having not done so at the first opportunity when Hitler invaded the Rhineland. So what is Ritchie proposing, that the rest of Europe threaten Germany with war if it doesn’t cough up the dosh?
Isn’t this a genuine Godwin’s Law moment?
It’s worth an Oscar nomination in itself, or whatever system exists for theatrics.
I suspect Ritchie hasn’t the faintest idea about the annexation of the Sudetenland, or indeed anything else. He’s seen in mentioned somewhere, and decided he’ll adopt it.
Looks like the Left’s insistence on “don’t mention the war” regarding the Bundesrepublik is now officially dead.
I think he’s found another of those irregular verb declensions:
I ask the electorate to reconsider the referendum results and vote again in the interests of unity
YOU ignore the wishes of the people
HE is a fascist
Candidly, this is a straw man argument. I remember when the neoliberals occupied the Somaliland. The lesson is that civil society needs the Fair Tax Mark.
And Fair Tax pens, bookmarks, mouse mats, and DVD’s.
And the live shows, featuring Richard Murphy and the Fair Tax dancers.
Steve – “And the live shows, featuring Richard Murphy and the Fair Tax dancers.”
I can see him imitating that other fat man and ending every show chasing nubile, bikini-wearing Tax Evaders to the sound of the Benny Hill Theme.
Not as funny though, I would guess.
In passing, not apropo anything in particular, Ben Elton is still an unfunny c*nt who probably agrees with Ritchie.
Last time I looked it up the Sudetenland didn’t owe the rest of the world EUR 300 billion.
@ Alex – that’s what comes of sound German management.
It was common enough 19th century practice, wasn’t it? If Lesser Shitholia was looking at defaulting on its debts, the creditor nations would send in people to run its finances.
Frexample WKPD: The Suez Canal, built in partnership with the French, was completed in 1869. Its construction led to enormous debt to European banks … In 1875 Ismail [sold] Egypt’s share in the canal to the British Government. Within three years this led to the imposition of British and French controllers who sat in the Egyptian cabinet, and, “with the financial power of the bondholders behind them, were the real power in the Government.”
That’s about the size of it, ain’t it?
And now Ritchie doubles down on the “Germans are Nazis” line. The Greek delegation ‘ s deal is the equivalent of Chamberlain’s with Hitler. Cos, y’no, Merkel, German and stuff ain’t she.
I thought doing things like the 19th Century wasn’t something we do any more? Imperialism and all that.
He’s too dim to recognise the terms ‘Godwin’s law’ and ‘Reductio ad Hitlerum’.
Also very ironic given his program’s similarity to Mussolini’s that he should accuse others of fascism!
Oh, he’s quite the strutting imperialist when it suits, i.e. throwing muscle around against “tax havens” (definition: smaller countries with tax rates lower than ours and no armed forces).
Rob
Daniel Mitchell of the Cato institute has fisked his philosophy at length over many years. He rejects completely the strongest argument in favour of tax havens in that they keep tax rates below 100% – the logical corollary of his argument on the need for state primacy. He really is a genuinely nasty piece of work – one of the most evil people in contemporary British politics….
You could design a bingo game round his output this week – the boxes on the board would show various acts of kindness to Germany, and aggression by Germany to others from the last 100 years.
Of course, the Pope’s involvement in the Enabling Act and the rise of Hitler won’t make it into his comments because the Papacy speaks the Truth to the Power.
His Dunning-Kruger has flared up again, I see. He should see someone about that.
dearieme,
“It was common enough 19th century practice, wasn’t it? If Lesser Shitholia was looking at defaulting on its debts, the creditor nations would send in people to run its finances.”
I was thinking that at one time, Greece being well, skint, owing money, clearly unable to borrow money to raise an army would be a sure sign to their neighbours to grab some reasonably fertile bits of it and kick the locals off the land and stick some of their people on it.
I cannot for the life of me grasp this being labelled as “neoliberalism”. I’d love to turn up at one of these junior communists’ house and ask for a tenner after telling them that I’m unreliable at returning money and see what happens.
I suppose the €50B fund is a bit like the French keeping the Rhineland after Versaiiles. There’s nothing new under the sun.
Germany only occupied the Sudetenland because it was flaunting a lower corporation tax rate than the Reich. Hitler had no choice, he did it for Tax Justice.
Quoth the Blessed Ambrose: This is not really different from the International Committee for Greek Debt Management in 1898 imposed on Greece after the country went bankrupt following a disastrous Balkan war.
A six-power league of bondholders, led by British bankers, impounded customs duties in the Port of Piraeus, and seized revenues from stamp duty, tobacco, salt, kerosene, all the way down to playing cards. But at least there was no humbug about solidarity and helping Greece on that occasion.
But, but … the EU was supposed to stop Germany or France from going to war (again, again, again …), are you saying it hasn’t worked?
Ian B – “I thought doing things like the 19th Century wasn’t something we do any more? Imperialism and all that.”
Bosnia is still being ruled by some EU satraps. Paddy Pants Down Ashdown was one I believe. Europe has long been moving into the colony business.