.......And while he is grandstanding a la mode De Gaulle, I would be delighted to escort Mrs Sarko around the sights of London.
It would be coolest if, while he is flouncing out, the other 'world leaders' started shouting "Crikey! Look at height of his platform shoes!" just to see if he then trips up.
It's unlikely that Sarkozy "buys into the fantasy" of unregulated capitalism being the cause of the financial crisis.
By the way, what are libertarians' principled views about the European "split"? Is the French/German view simply an out-and-out socialist grab for total government power? And seeing as Brown is basically interested in the same thing, why he is not on the same side? Is it because he's scared of all those rich foreigners fleeing London (if they haven't already)? What's going on? The suspense is killing me!
Marc, well I am trying to judge Sarko by his recent policy pronouncements; I cannot read his mind.
Your question is a good one; it seems to me that Merkel, in particular, has taken against the uber-Keynesian doctrine of Brown because she, like many Germans, has grown up with the idea that feckless governments lead to trouble in the end. Many Germans, especially in the western bit, will remember that the vast amounts of money the West spent on East Germany after the Berlin Wall came down took a long time to bear any fruit and arguably, held Germany back.
And perhaps Germany is re-asserting itself as more "conservative" on economics than the UK, as was the case under the economic revival under Adenauer and Erhard in the 1950s and 60s.
Also, a lot of Germans have become fed up with the posturing of Brown as some sort of global saviour. I bet there is a great deal of schadenfraude at his discomfiture.
Guten nacht, Herr Brown!
I think it's more of the later. As in everyone is piggy-rotten sick of the sight of him.
He's a dead man walking*.
He's toxic. Look how Obama snubbed him.
Nobody wants to be seen associated the shambling failure that is Brown.
*Unlike Richard Timney who's a dead man...
Also, a lot of Germans have become fed up with the posturing of Brown as some sort of global saviour. I bet there is a great deal of schadenfraude at his discomfiture.
Maybe I'm projecting, but I get the feeling he is genuinely disliked by the kermunity of world politicians. Somebody they really only talk to when they have to.
History's probably going to record him as a tragic figure, as forgotten as Bonar Law, as catastrophic a failure as Eden and as loathsome as... as... give up, can't think of anybody as loathsome.
Ian,
I don't think you're projecting at all. He's clearly a failure and these folks don't wanna associate with that. Add to that his complete lack of any personal charm and you got someone you can't stand to be in the same room as.
And as we speak, another sign of German (or Swiss) financial conservatism: Nestlé chief warns of long-term hazards of stimulus plans (Link)
Increased government spending through stimulus plans risks plunging the world into a new crisis and has already sparked a return of inflation, according to the chairman of Nestlé.(More + video interview with Peter Brabeck on the FT site).
That wet blanket Brabeck(Link) is an Austrian!! I KNEW it!!!!!
Well Marc, there are Austrians and then there are Austrians.
