Mario Monti

[Josquius]

The world should point our nukes at Italy and make it clear that if they even consider bringing Berlusconi back then buttons shall be pushed.

[Sheilbh]

For a guy repeated several times that the crisis is not a morality play, you seem to have a marked preference for casting Merkel as the heavy of the drama.

I think there's a risk of falling into a morality play with Germany too.  I don't think I do that, I think Germany's policy is wrong, that it's causing a lot of unnecessary pain and could well end up delivering the worst of all circumstances.  Even if German policy is followed for the next 5 years I still don't see what the end goal is, how do we move from EFSF/ESM and austerity to a sustainable Eurozone without huge internal imbalances.  The morality play is the one Marti hinted at earlier, the idea that Germany's the country that's benefited the most from the Euro therefore they should pay up.  I don't agree with it and I don't think it's helpful to get into a pissing contest of who benefits the most, not least because for the Euro to work I think everyone needs to benefit.

In terms of roles I think Germany and Merkel are kind of tragic.  Germany's facing a kind of post-war nightmare of the Euro-project falling apart, having to assume a huge (and unsought for) role as the leader of Europe or isolation within Europe.  I think Germany's commitment to Euro-solidarity (which goes way beyond, say, France or the UK) and her almost legalist respect for law have led her to the position she's in.  It's tragic in the sense that those same traits have been incredibly admirable for the last 60 years but are now letting Germany and Europe down.

My understanding of Merkel is that she builds consensus and let's public opinion get ahead of her before acting.  She's not the sort of bold, Maggie like figure that some hoped for.  That style is great in normal circumstances.  I think in a period of great stress and crisis it's inadequate (I think Cameron's quite similar, he'd be a fine steady, good steward style PM in normal times but is really struggling now).  I would contrast them with Brown who was in many ways a deeply flawed politician but also exactly the right man to be in charge in September 2008.  His flaws enabled him to rise to that moment in the same way that I think Germany and Merkel's virtues have kind of trapped them.

As I say I didn't intend any jab at Merkel in my OP and still can't read even an implied one

[Ed Anger]

The world should point our nukes at Italy and make it clear that if they even consider bringing Berlusconi back then buttons shall be pushed.

I wish the Geordies were exterminated, root and branch.