To think the Daily Mail have totally surpassed themselves by calling the current German administration 'The Fourth Reich'

[LaurieFairyCake]

Isn't that appalling? I can't believe they are insinuating that Germany has an 'empire' or 'kingdon'.

It really is a revolting campaign of dumbing down by them.

that crosses the line so far they can't even see the line when they look back!

YANBU

Link.

the 4th empire being the European Union?

I hate the German bashing in the DM, is it because football will shortly be upon us?

link here, it's the top 'story'

YANBU. That is offensive. The 3rd Reich was horrific. How on earth can they compare Germany today to 1930s Germany?
The Daily Mail need to seriously apologise; it's offensive to the Germans, to Angela Merkel, & to the victims of the 3rd Reich (many of whom were actually German themselves).

Oh, wait - it's obvious. Angela Merkel is a WOMAN. The DM currently hate women. Germany has a woman in charge & the DM can't stand it.
If Angela Merkel was HERR Merkel then I bet there would be no shit in the DM about a 'Fourth Reich'.

That's we call it in my country. Mind you, we have good reason!

That's what we call it!

"The Germans, as the only seriously credit-worthy country in the euro, would have to underwrite it.

That would effectively mean the creation of the Fourth Reich."

Just scanned it. It is an article on Ireland with this bit above mentioning Germany.

Where are you from, TQS?

It is hideous, like 99,9% of the DM articles. Mind you, a few months ago in one of the many threads where some mumsnetters were getting excited by the prospect of the fall of the euro () similar expressions were used to describe Germany.

Having said that, I don't think I agree much with Germany's management of the economic crisis.

Sparta, I suppose she is from Greece!

It is an article on Ireland with this bit above mentioning Germany.

I wish they'd leave us out of their German-bashing. It's time they realised that we've a completely different political culture to the UK, and a different relationship with the EU, and we don't need their weird obesessions pushed on us.

Yep, the clue is in the username! I should add that we call Germany: the fourth "financial" reich. To be honest, I don't think it's offensive to Germans; it is all to do with their government, not the people. The people have already denounced Merkel's policies - she keeps losing the local elections. So, YABU. I don't think it's offensive to the Germans. As for their victims of the Third Reich; what is happenning in Greece resembles a genocide (on a smaller scale I agree).

"what is happenning in Greece resembles a genocide (on a smaller scale I agree)."

I think it's really difficult to find out what's happening in Greece - would you mind saying what it's like from your point of view

Well, you could view the whole EU set up (with Germany at the top of the tree) as their latest crack at European domination, but from a different approach to their traditional one.

They have bitten off more than they can chew though. Reich just means realm, it's just that we associate it with Third Reich.

Equating financial hardship with the holocaust is in rather poor taste

(that was to Sparta)

To be honest, I think it is offensive to call any country that is not a ferocious tyranny "Fourth Reich", given that many Germans have been victims of the genocide committed by the Nazis, iyswim.
And yes, the economic collapse of Greece is dramatic and awful and I really feel for the Greeks (and I say so as an Italian... we aren't in a happy situation), though genocides are sadly a different matter.

Merkel is just imo doing it all wrong. Apparently yesterday Holland and Monti argued bitterly with her, in front of Obama, on a conference call!

Agree Pennie

What Pennie said.

Apparently yesterday Holland and Monti argued bitterly with her, in front of Obama, on a conference call!

But they're probably still alive and in their jobs, not waiting for a guard to force them on a train to be gassed to death.

Calling this situation anything like a "reich" is really offensive to people who suffered bitterly at the hands of one of the cruellest and most inhuman events of the last centuries.

The Germans have a point of view and they've a right to it in this case. The phrase "he who pays the piper calls the tune" wasn't invented today or yesterday, it's the way things have always been.

I don't believe that Germany has made any kind of a crack at European domination. They have tried to find a home in Europe in the aftermath of the war and they did it, fully. They have pretty much footed the bill because someone had to do it and it is not the fault of Germany or the German govt if other countries financial policies have led to ruin. If they do end up having to bail out large parts of the European Union, I actually don't blame them in the least for wanting to have a lot of say about how it is done. Merkel has elections to win at home, she is the Chancellor of Germany and not the Head of the European Union.

what is happenning in Greece resembles a genocide

That is a vile thing to say. No it fucking doesn't.