How short is the memory?

[Eric]

Read in the Guardian today that Angela Merkel put pressure on the US and GM to support Magna's (a Canadian auto parts manufacturer) bid to take over GM's European operations, Vauxhall and Opel. She did this to protect the jobs of 20 thousand German workers .... so, it seems that most of the upcoming job cuts will be in, you guessed it, the UK.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Eric

Read in the Guardian today that Angela Merkel put pressure on the US and GM to support Magna's (a Canadian auto parts manufacturer) bid to take over GM's European operations, Vauxhall and Opel. She did this to protect the jobs of 20 thousand German workers .... so, it seems that most of the upcoming job cuts will be in, you guessed it, the UK.

Don't you just love them Germans

[cashman]

Originally Posted by jaysay

don't you just love them germans

no

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by Eric

Read in the Guardian today that Angela Merkel put pressure on the US and GM to support Magna's (a Canadian auto parts manufacturer) bid to take over GM's European operations, Vauxhall and Opel. She did this to protect the jobs of 20 thousand German workers .... so, it seems that most of the upcoming job cuts will be in, you guessed it, the UK.

So, where was the gurning, grimacing incompetent who supposedly runs this country while all this was going on? Elsewhere, like he always is!

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

So, where was the gurning, grimacing incompetent who supposedly runs this country while all this was going on? Elsewhere, like he always is!

You're being far too generous, there, Wynonnie.

[MargaretR]

Your short memories delude you.
If you go back far enough - to the end of the last ice age to be precice - you will observe that we are a mixed population which is predominately Anglo Saxon (german) and Norman (french), with a bit of Viking (Norwegian) to spice up the mix with the Celts

What you are talking about here are recent 'family squabbles'

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

What you are talking about here are recent 'family squabbles'

WW1 - 6 million dead in Western Europe

WW2 - 40million dead in W.Europe and Russia.

Some family. Some squabble.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

WW1 - 6 million dead in Western Europe

WW2 - 40million dead in W,Europe and Russia.

Some family. Some Squabble.

You can't blame wars on the population of a country.
Their governments are the culprits.
The populations can only take the blame by neglecting to rid themselves of such governments.

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

You can't blame wars on the population of a country.
Their governments are the culprits.
The populations can only take the blame by neglecting to rid themselves of such governments.

Absolute rubbish. The populations of Britain and France in 1914 were itching to get at the Germans and the same with them to us. Their governments were democratically elected and before you say not really, because women didn't have the vote - the women were worse than the men in their lust for war.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Absolute rubbish. The populations of Britain and France in 1914 were itching to get at the Germans and the same with them to us. Their governments were democratically elected and before you say not really, because women didn't have the vote - the women were worse than the men in their lust for war.

Well if anyone would know that it is you - being 107 as you are

[Eric]

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

So, where was the gurning, grimacing incompetent who supposedly runs this country while all this was going on? Elsewhere, like he always is!

Funny you should mention this, but Merkel and the German govt. were prepared to put up loan guarantees for Magna. In return, the Germans keep their jobs (I do believe that Opel workers will own about 10% of the new operation), and those in the English factories are slated for that long, lonely ride down the tubes. Whether you agree with govt. stepping in to help private industry or not, I think you must agree that Merkel and company won this battle.

[Royboy39]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

You can't blame wars on the population of a country.
Their governments are the culprits.
The populations can only take the blame by neglecting to rid themselves of such governments.

Is the first line of your arguement a defence of the German people?
There were hundreds of thousands of German soldiers who had families, has had the Nazis, who must have known what was going on.
I dont think your history is up to speed.
In the first and the second world war these people had been taught to kill.
They even had a trial run at Guernica in Spain to try out the mass bombing.
This was directed at civilians, well documented. The Germans were animals who wanted to create a pure race.
They selected that Bar steward who was'nt even German to lead them.
Forgive them.........never

[Tealeaf]

...and on top of that their women just shafted us 2-6 in the Euro womens' footy final.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

You can't blame wars on the population of a country.
Their governments are the culprits.
The populations can only take the blame by neglecting to rid themselves of such governments.

Ok. In terms of the First World War, you may have something of a point. But with the Second World War, no way. We are back to the argument which I mentioned before: There were only a few Nazis (the one's mentioned in that famous song to the tune of Colonel Bogey) ... but they worked real hard. Apart from a few, futile, stuttering attempts at assasinating Hitler, one of which gave rise to a recent crappy movie, the Germans were fully behind the Nazis .... look at how they fought to the very bitter end. If there had been a time to be generous to Germany, it was in 1919 ... but after what they did in the 30s and 40s, no way.

[Royboy39]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

...and on top of that their women just shafted us 2-6 in the Euro womens' footy final.

You should enter that in Less's funny half hour...very amusing.