France: the serial loser in unfolding euro drama
PIERRE BRIANÇON
Reuters Breakingviews
Published Monday, Dec. 12, 2011 7:20PM EST


Once again, Nicolas Sarkozy has made the world believe he scored a great success at a European summit. But once again, this was thanks to diverting attention away from the substance of the talks to a third-party drama where he played the tough guy. In the latest instance, he used the opportunity provided by the unprecedented diplomatic amateurishness of a U.K. prime minister. Mr. Sarkozy may have fooled pundits and part of French opinion. But the bigger truth is that France has lost to Germany on all the important arguments about how best to fight the euro crisis.

At every turn France has agreed to most German demands. It signed up to a constitutional “debt brake” which will be much more powerful than the so-called “golden rule” that Mr. Sarkozy had proposed for French budgets. France has also had to consent to quasi-automatic sanctions against countries that violate the euro zone’s fiscal discipline rules.

But Paris suffered its most severe defeat over the role of the European Central Bank. Again and again , from one summit to the next, Paris came up with schemes to circumvent what would call “the spirit” of the EU treaty which prohibits central bank financing of national budget deficits. There was the idea of making the European bailout fund a bank. Then the suggestion that the ECB might lend money to the International Monetary Fund. All these ideas came from the obsessively creative French treasury. Predictably, all of them were shot down by Angela Merkel and the ECB.

But at every summit, Mr. Sarkozy also managed to turn the situation around and save French blushes. Each time like an obedient poodle, France teamed up with Germany to play hardball with a third country. Silvio Berlusconi was dissed; George Papandreou was admonished; and last week David Cameron was bullied. Commentators insist this last summit was a diplomatic victory for France. By that yardstick, one hates to think what a defeat would look like.


VASSALS!

At every turn France has agreed to most German demands.

Some things never change.

Any truth to the rumor that Germany has insisted that the final treaty revisions be signed at Compiègne, in a railway car?

VAVD wrote:

Any truth to the rumor that Germany has insisted that the final treaty revisions be signed at Compiègne, in a railway car?

I think its bad enough that frau merkel uses her favorite strap on on the lil midget


if the euro union survives for however much longer
its only a matter of time before that midget sarko is no longer needed on the stage and the germans ass rape what is rightfully thiers....... that would be france

and hammer those garlic eat'n cretains flat



Unfortunately
we may not see it unfold

the uproar in france would be entertaining and it would also shatter the union

we wont see it

the union probably only has weeks left

maybe months


but by next dec thier will be no european union

Does Kanzlerin Merkel have designs on Alsace and Lorraine? If re-annexed ( ) at least the Krauts would make the frog vermin work and be productive.

Arbeit fur Alsace und Lorraine!

FrogFryer wrote:

VAVD wrote:

Any truth to the rumor that Germany has insisted that the final treaty revisions be signed at Compiègne, in a railway car?

I think its bad enough that frau merkel uses her favorite strap on on the lil midget


if the euro union survives for however much longer
its only a matter of time before that midget sarko is no longer needed on the stage and the germans ass rape what is rightfully thiers....... that would be france

and hammer those garlic eat'n cretains flat



Unfortunately
we may not see it unfold

the uproar in france would be entertaining and it would also shatter the union

we wont see it

the union probably only has weeks left

maybe months


but by next dec thier will be no european union

What would EU Army have to change his name to then?

I'm seriously worried about him. I think he would/will have a nervous breakdown. All those charts, all that false hope! You can't put up a graph of Denmark's impact on the world. You just can't do it.

jerrylewissux wrote:

At every turn France has agreed to most German demands.

Some things never change.

I thought you were dead JLS!

France: the serial loser

it is known

FrogFryer wrote:

France teamed up with Germany to play hardball with a third country. Silvio Berlusconi was dissed; George Papandreou was admonished; and last week David Cameron was bullied. Commentators insist this last summit was a diplomatic victory for France. By that yardstick, one hates to think what a defeat would look like.


VASSALS!

how can the elected Presidents an PMs and other pollies relinquish their posts to unelected types who are part of the problem?

Lord_Haw_Haw wrote:

FrogFryer wrote:

France teamed up with Germany to play hardball with a third country. Silvio Berlusconi was dissed; George Papandreou was admonished; and last week David Cameron was bullied. Commentators insist this last summit was a diplomatic victory for France. By that yardstick, one hates to think what a defeat would look like.


VASSALS!

how can the elected Presidents an PMs and other pollies relinquish their posts to unelected types who are part of the problem?

You mean like Chancellor Hitler taking over on the death of President Hindenburg?

As long as we oust the roastbeefs from Europe, I accept everything...

maxdorleans wrote:

As long as we oust the roastbeefs from Europe, I accept everything...

My, how the French have fallen. Your grandmother at least demanded a Hershey Bar in return for her services.

VAVD wrote:


My, how the French have fallen. Your grandmother at least demanded a Hershey Bar in return for her services.

You're so predictable that it's not even funny

Midget drama !

Germany will reclaim all the stolen lands in Poland, France and Czech Republic

SIEG HEIL

I will join the Germans when the time comes

VAVD wrote:

Any truth to the rumor that Germany has insisted that the final treaty revisions be signed at Compiègne, in a railway car?

Unfortunately, the old wagon-lit was reportedly destroyed during an Allied bombing raid.

I'm sure that those krafty kraut engineers could make a very nice replica though.


Note to LTK: You're not Nordic, you don't speak their language, and besides didn't you hear that the krauts were neutered during WWII?

GhostDivision wrote:

VAVD wrote:

Any truth to the rumor that Germany has insisted that the final treaty revisions be signed at Compiègne, in a railway car?

Unfortunately, the old wagon-lit was reportedly destroyed during an Allied bombing raid.

I'm sure that those krafty kraut engineers could make a very nice replica though.


Note to LTK: You're not Nordic, you don't speak their language, and besides didn't you hear that the krauts were neutered during WWII?

my family is from northern spain

I have Germanic blood in me, I HAVE BLUE EYES

proove it then
cut them out and post em to a mod of your choice

But the bigger truth is that France has lost to Germany on all the important arguments about how best to fight the euro crisis.

Nothing new here. The French have been has been bit players for many years. It's funny watching Sarkozy and the French desperate to appear relevant. Vain to the end as Fat Anna and the Krauts are calling the shots.

This picture catches the fraud of the French perfectly......

He just doesn't measure up!!!!

maxdorleans wrote:

As long as we oust the roastbeefs from Europe, I accept everything...

Shouldn't you call them "ChickenTikkaMasalaTakeaways" at this point?

At first glance, Marcel look like she was trying to light a fart.


my bad

maxdorleans wrote:

VAVD wrote:


My, how the French have fallen. Your grandmother at least demanded a Hershey Bar in return for her services.

You're so predictable that it's not even funny

No,... it was still pretty funny.

7 karma's would disagree with your opinion.