adminIsidoros Karderinis
The referendum of June 23, 2016 regarding Britain’s remaining in, or exiting from the European Union, through its subversive Brexit result – the first major, painful defeat for the German-controlled bloc of banks and multi-nationals – undoubtedly shook the dominant British and European political and economical system. The British, taken as a whole, are not the people of a protectorate who might have perhaps a slave mentality.
They are the proud people of a great country that in the past has been an empire and today is one of the world’s largest economies.
The British, therefore, who are also the winners of two world wars, have developed a highly dignified attitude and behaviour.
So, British citizens who endured with unprecedented fortitude and bravery the fierce bombardments of the Nazi air force in World War II, would not be able to accept – against any short-term negative economic impacts arising from Brexit – German domination and leadership in the EU.
Thus, the incredible surprise of the German political leaders and far away standing bureaucrats in Brussels caused by this amazing, liberating result, on that promising and sunny dawn of June 24, 2016; does not comply in any way with any historical knowledge and thorough data analysis.
Germany’s assiduous effort to put under its complete control the European people and level once again the continent – this time not by the use of military weapons as in the past, but the use of economic ones – presents similar ignorance of history characteristics.
It is obvious that the Germans, who cannot control in any way their great political and economic power, are completely ignorant of history, and so now, find themselves – by mathematical determinism – on the verge of a new defeat that will come through the imminent, unravelling of the EU.
The EU, which in 1993, through the Maastricht Treaty, replaced the then EEC, is basically by default an unnatural and defective political and economic union of states with different political, legal, economic, military and cultural levels.
But it is also a union of people who feel like strangers to each other, without any mutual and brotherly feelings of solidarity.
Thus, the grandiose pronouncements and unrealistic visions for a democratic and prosperous EU could not, but be bitterly ruled out.
Germany, taking advantage of the impacts of the crisis erupted in September 2008 through the grandiose collapse of banks (Lehman Brothers), and invoking the Maastricht Stability Pact and the need for reform packages so that the negative effects of the crisis could be confronted, has been implementing since then a kind of economic totalitarianism, mostly against the weak Member States of the European periphery.
The anti-grassroots economic plans of the strictest neo-liberal austerity imposed by Berlin have indeed levelled the societies of southern European countries.
In Greece, which is certainly the most typical example of the pilot implementation of these incredibly absurd and economically irrational policies, unemployment has increased dramatically to 26,8 percent of the workforce, while 36 percent of the Greek population lives below the poverty line.
In Italy, 24.4 percent of the population is facing the risk of poverty and social exclusion.
In Spain, 22,2 percent of households live below the poverty line and more than one in three children (that means 2.6 million) are facing poverty and social exclusion. In Portugal, one in four children lives below the poverty line, and a total of about two million people (20 percent of its population) live amid poverty and destitution.
At the same time, Germany has clearly received unprecedented economic benefits.
Its extremely big profits arise from the transfer of investors’ money to “low risk” German bonds due to the crisis plaguing the eurozone.
Especially after 2009, yields on German bonds have reached the bottom of the barrel, while in some cases (eg five-year German bonds) reached negative interest rates.
That means Germany not only does not pay to borrow, but on the contrary, investors – given the insecurity in the euro zone – pay it in order to safeguard their money.
Thus, in five years’ time (2010-2015), Germany has managed to save a total of EUR100 billion, equivalent to 3 percent of its GDP, precisely because of the dramatic reduction in borrowing costs.
So, it is more than obvious to every benevolent observer that the EU, and surely the extremely neo-liberal eurozone, operates in the interests of the hegemonic and dominant Germany at the expense of other Member States and mainly at the expense of the southern Europe countries.
The extremely high trade surpluses achieved by Germany (eg. in 2013, it had a trade surplus of 200 billions thus remaining a highly competitive state) are certainly due to the great German economic machine, but at the same time, they are scandalously increased by the unfair eurozone monetary system.
Germany for the first time in many years, apart from its economic boom, has become a first rate international player, given that its political leadership has found itself at a key position thus being able to represent the other European countries, without being asked to.
So, Great Britain’s exit from the EU represents a fatal blow to the international status of the European bloc, and first of all, to the status of Germany.
At the same time, EU institutions and its decision-making processes lack democratic legitimacy.
They are distant and inaccessible to the ordinary European citizen.
Thus, a deep democratic deficit directly opposing the founding treaties of the EU and grossly violating the original declaratory core of values is clearly visible.
The people of Europe do not exert absolutely any direct influence on the important EU decision-making institutions.
For instance, the European Council with its strong centralised role and the European Commission with its highly bureaucratic and technocratic nature have absolutely no accountability to the citizens.
On the other hand, the directly elected European Parliament, which is based in Strasbourg, does not possess by any means sufficient powers and continues to be a weak link.
In conclusion, the EU, which has been reduced into a type of German colony, despite the illusions cultivated by certain political circles, is not willing to change or improve, or even acquire a democratic social role.
Thus came the great time for the enslaved countries within the EU and the eurozone to follow the shining example of Great Britain and the proud British people to break their steel shackles and get liberated, looking forward with widespread hope and optimism.
Online Reporter