Which German politician said the following?
As a citizen, I would not like again to become the object of Anglo-Saxon financial capital. Germany does not protect me from this, but only Germany in Europe does.
Was it:
a. Franz Müntefering, the chair of the Social Democratic party (SPD) who in 2005 famously compared mostly American and British investment firms to “locusts” and who is presently leading the SPD election campaign for the upcoming general elections.
b. Andrea Nahles, the vice-chair of the SPD and leader of its so-called “left” wing.
c. Oskar Lafontaine, scourge of “neo-liberal” economics and co-chair of the further left “Leftist Party” [Die Linke] whose program excoriates “financial market capitalism.”
d. Sahra Wagenknecht, member of the executive committee of the Leftist Party and leader of its unreconstructed, self-styled “Communist” wing.
The answer is… none of the above. In any case, (c) and (d) would not be plausible answers, since they would not be likely to speak so positively of the EU.
The real answer is: Norbert Röttgen, chief parliamentary whip of the supposedly “conservative” Christian Democratic (CDU/CSU) group in the German Bundestag. The CDU is, of course, the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Röttgen made the remark in an interview that was published in the Monday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
17 responses so far
1 joemarier // Aug 12, 2009 at 11:25 am
Considering recent events, I don’t blame them for wanting to be insulated from Anglo Saxon capital.
2 MFarmer // Aug 12, 2009 at 12:28 pm
joemarrier,
You can’t possibly be mistaking our mixed-economy-leaning-toward-statism for capitalism, can you?
3 Geoff C // Aug 12, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I’m going to have to agree with Joe on this. Given the recent economic climate and the strange strains that it is putting on the EU (like having all your boats ties together when some are sinking faster than others) that this quip wasn’t uncalled for. They’ll look at the Italians and see the error in it.
4 ottovbvs // Aug 12, 2009 at 12:51 pm
…..Since mixed economies in which a well regulated capitalism is the dominant economic philosophy are the standard model in Europe suggesting they are afraid of capitalism is just another of Rosenthal’s bizarre exaggerations.
MFarmer // Aug 12, 2009 at 12:28 pm
“You can’t possibly be mistaking our mixed-economy-leaning-toward-statism for capitalism, can you?”
……..It’s the 2009 US/Euro model of capitalism……you can of course return to the 1875 American model if you wish because it does still exist more or less…….in Russia……just book yourself a ticket
5 ottovbvs // Aug 12, 2009 at 12:58 pm
geoff-c // Aug 12, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“Given the recent economic climate and the strange strains that it is putting on the EU (like having all your boats ties together when some are sinking faster than others)”
………..Er……that was to some extent the idea undergirding the EU…..the big boats would keep the little boats afloat from time to time…….now you can argue the EU has acquired too many little boats of late but I suspect they’ll manage it ultimately……you have to understand that Germany is almost certainly the most chauvinistic country in Europe…..it’s very hard to sell non German products there………if the American manufacturing economy looked like the German one we’d be in much better shape
6 barker13 // Aug 12, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Re: MFarmer // Aug 12, 2009 at 12:28 pm –
“…our mixed-economy-leaning-toward-statism…”
EXACTLY!
And, yeah… the precipitous shift took place during Bush’s last year in office… and, yeah… most RINOs and “establishment loyalists” went along with it.
Yes… (*SIGH*)… even Gingrich.
OK. So now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, as to 2009…
(*SMILE*)
BILL
7 DFL // Aug 12, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Sometimes capitalism does not conserve but engages in what one wise man(sorry, I forget who) called “creative destruction.” Europeans are more willing to protect the village baker, butcher and tavern. I see much to approve. The American system may have been too chaotic as events have shown the past year while Europe has needed to become more flexible and less bureaucratic.
8 ottovbvs // Aug 12, 2009 at 3:13 pm
dfl // Aug 12, 2009 at 3:01 pm
“Sometimes capitalism does not conserve but engages in what one wise man(sorry, I forget who) called “creative destruction.”
……Schumpeter, an economist of the “Austrian” school……..Given the debate about healthy eating elsewhere, a very wise comment about the role of the local butcher, baker and candle stick maker……..and you’re not going to believe this I suspect because of your worldview but the US is an incredibly bureaucratic country for all sorts of reasons do with the fragmentation of govt, our patchwork quilt health insurance system, regs governing everything from car insurance to having your septic tank checked……I’ve lived for long periods in France and Britain and although they have the odd idiosyncracy they are not in the same league in bureaucratic terms……trust me it’s true
9 dacookson // Aug 12, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Again, it’s not a fear of capitalism but a fear of a certain type of capitalism. The one that brought the world economy to its knees.
10 Jim Pier // Aug 13, 2009 at 1:04 am
otto:
“……..It’s the 2009 US/Euro model of capitalism……you can of course return to the 1875 American model if you wish because it does still exist more or less…….in Russia……just book yourself a ticket”
What a bizarre analogy. MFarmer is on the mark. The left levels the unfounded complaint that there is “no middle class” in the US, but cannot get enough of programs that dampen economic growth and reduce the future wealth that will employ the middle class and out of which their beloved welfare state must extract its largesse. I can’t wait to read the details on how today’s Russia is the same as 1875 US.
11 Jim Pier // Aug 13, 2009 at 1:14 am
dfl // Aug 12, 2009 at 3:01 pm
“Europeans are more willing to protect the village baker, butcher and tavern.”
Consider, however, that the economic result of these putatively more human policies is to protect the less productive against the more productive. Thus the entire economy is weakened, including, in the majority of cases and in the long run (which, contrary to Keynes, is what matters), the protected groups. There is a reason American incomes are substantially higher than European ones. (Of course I know that income is not the sole measure of quality of life, standard of living and so on. It is a pretty simple and straightforward proxy, though.)
Do we long for the good old days when 80% of Americans toiled in farm and field, doing backbreaking work from sunup to sundown for a subsistence income? We don’t have 80% of us on farms now because farmers have gotten so productive that less than 5% can do it, which has made them wealthier and freed the other 75+% to pursue more productive endeavors.
12 Jim Pier // Aug 13, 2009 at 1:34 am
dacookson // Aug 12, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Again, it’s not a fear of capitalism but a fear of a certain type of capitalism. The one that brought the world economy to its knees.
Right, but it is a gross misrepresentation to suggest that that capitalism is the real thing, laissez-faire. The worldwide economic crisis would not have been nearly as big a deal without the massive government interventions that distort markets, promote moral hazard, socialize risk, and grossly inflate the money supply. Most of the evils of capitalism are mythical.
13 dacookson // Aug 13, 2009 at 5:47 am
Jim, that’s fantasy. Just take it on the chin will you. The crisis was caused in the US and compounded in the UK due to a lack of oversight and regulation. Countries where governments have been more willing to ‘interfere’ with markets like France and Germany are already out of recession (see here) without having being forced to resort to the ‘massive government interventions’ of bailouts and QE to the extent of the US and the UK. They wouldn’t have had to do resort to anything if the US and the UK had run their economies properly. Do you need Jesus to come down and point this out to you? Economic growth is driven more by the super-rich in the US than in Europe. So what’s better for the economy, to have wealth funneled into the hands of the few or more widely distributed? Casinos make a lot of money, provide a lot of tax and ‘create wealth’, but they do this by sucking it out of the pockets of the many into the hands of a few. Do you think this benefits a community? Would you like to live in Las Vegas? It’s amazing to me that conservatives seem to believe that laws should only apply to people and not to business, as if business wasn’t made up of people. Conservatives believe in regulating the social lives of the citizen but not the practises of industry. There’s a happy medium, it’s called common sense.
14 dacookson // Aug 13, 2009 at 7:45 am
America’s Fear of Capitalism
15 SFTor1 // Aug 15, 2009 at 4:10 am
JimPier: “Consider, however, that the economic result of these putatively more human policies is to protect the less productive against the more productive. Thus the entire economy is weakened, including, in the majority of cases and in the long run (which, contrary to Keynes, is what matters), the protected groups.”
This would assume that it is still hard work that gets people ahead, as opposed to being tied into the river of money that was the latest bubble, and the next one after that, and the one before the first one.
It’s disgusting rubbish.
Outsource me! Rightsize me! No, me! Me!
16 ottovbvs // Aug 15, 2009 at 8:25 am
Jim Pier // Aug 13, 2009 at 1:04 am
“The left levels the unfounded complaint that there is “no middle class” in the US, ”
………..I’d like you to provide a source where any reputable economist of left or right says there’s no middle class in the US…..or do you just make this stuff up
” Thus the entire economy is weakened, including, in the majority of cases and in the long run (which, contrary to Keynes, is what matters), the protected groups. ”
……….And if you want to learn a bit about what Keynes really thought as opposed to what you think he thought you might like to read this recent piece by the noted conservative economist Tom Bartlett
http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/13/john-maynard-keynes-conservative-opinions-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html
17 ottovbvs // Aug 15, 2009 at 8:37 am
Jim Pier // Aug 13, 2009 at 1:04 am
” can’t wait to read the details on how today’s Russia is the same as 1875 US.”
……….one could write a book but in a short sentence:
” An economic model where crony capitalist oligopolies exploit abundant natural resources with minimal government interference and without regard for the protection of labor or the environment. “
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