2662 days ago
Mark Steyn wrote a funny piece a few years ago about why it would soon be hard to perform a play about Anne Frank in her native Holland. Steyn reasoned that as the German troops marched on stage looking for the little Jewish girl who was hiding in the attic, the audience would start shouting out "she's hiding in the attic, she's up there."
2837 days ago
I do not normally pay much attention to what folks on neighbouring tables say when watching the world go by in the Kourounis taverna in Kambos, the village closest to the Greek Hovel where I hope to spend most of the rest of my life. I just tap away at my keyboard or think about olives. But today I exploded as a fat and smug German explained to a couple of timorous Brits why hard Brexit would screw England and thus why we should "obey orders" and fall into line with what Germany, sorry the EU, wanted. I exploded.
3039 days ago
Some weasel from the SPD, Angela Merkel's coalition partners is on Newsnight. Kirsty Wark put it to him that a poll showed that a clear majority of Germans now thought that the Government's immigration policy was wrong. His answer?
3088 days ago
There is no sitting on the fence from German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble. He has stated explicitly today that if the UK leaves the EU as a result of Brexit we would have no access to the single market, not even limited access like Switzerland or Norway. Does this mean that for we Brexit Tommies "ze war is over". Nope, sorry Wolfgang but whatever you say, The Great Escape is still very much on.
You see we all know
3114 days ago
As Ben Elton would say, " a bit political, a bit political." Isn't it sweet the people of Europe sending a message that we don't like Russia and that the Ukranians are all really nice folk? How right the EU was to meddle and ensure that the democratically elected rulers were replaced by a bunch of ultra nationalists supported by, inter alia, large numbers of Jew hating Nazis, which as their first act made Russian speakers second class citizens, thereby provoking an inevitable civil war. Oh, sorry we are not meant to mention the second bit are we. That is the inconvenient truth the twits who rave about last night's Eurovision campfest gloss over.
So I have a song for Russia to enter next year just to put the record straight
3161 days ago
I have just been given a free drink by my hotel and asked if I do not mind not being in the breakfast room tomorrow when an ageing German speaking couple appear. It seems as if they complained three times today that I had taken a phone call while they had breakfast. Not that this is illegal but they have paid for peace and quiet.
I paid to use a hotel where I am allowed to take a phone call. But they are old folks so naturally their needs are more important than mine.
Maybe I am allowed to have breakfast but must leave my phone outside? Whatever.
The old fascists
3421 days ago
To recap: 61% of Greeks voted Oxi (no) to a nasty bailout package last Sunday. Treacherous PM Alex "Ephialtes" Tsipras then ignored their wishes and proposed an even worse deal which 79% of Greeks oppose, according to a poll out today. And in Brussels just now it appears that Greece has agreed to an even worse package than the second Ephialtes deal which it will start implementing next week in order to get a bailout. But even this most brutal of rogerings and abject humiliations for Greece may not save it.
German leader Angela Merkel wants Greece out of the Euro for five years.
3860 days ago
Wandering through the streets of Athens today I happened upon a book stall set up by the side of the road. Pride of place at the top of the heap was the Greek version of one of Jamie Oliver’s works.
Youth unemployment at 65%, unemployment at 30%, massive cuts in the standard of living, corrupt politicians, German imposed austerity, the music of Nana Mouskori, Nazi Occupation in World War Two, a bitter Civil war afterwards and now Jamie. Surely it is time to say that poor Greece has suffered enough and that it does not need this one last misery heaped upon its suffering people?